CJ McCollum Ruled Out vs. Spurs After Suffering Left Leg Injury, to Undergo MRI

Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter of Saturday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs and was ruled out after limping back to the locker room, according to The Athletic's Jason Quick.

The injury occurred after McCollum elevated for a layup and landed awkwardly on the leg along the baseline.

ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski reported McCollum will undergo an MRI on Sunday. Head coach Terry Stotts later told reporters X-rays on McCollum's leg came back negative.

McCollum has averaged 21.5 points on 46.3 percent shooting for the Trail Blazers, who are fourth in the Western Conference.

McCollum has only missed six games since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, and one of them was due to a suspension. Until Saturday's scare, McCollum sat just one game this season with a left ankle sprain.

The 27-year-old did have a "[plasma-rich platelet] injection during the offseason to relieve pain and alleviate minor swelling in his right knee," per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. McCollum did not take part in any basketball-related activities for nine weeks but was ready for the 2018-19 preseason.

With McCollum out, look for Rodney Hood to enter the starting lineup. The 26-year-old, whom the Blazers acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in February, is averaging 8.4 points on 46.2 percent shooting.

Seth Curry should also get more minutes off the bench. The 28-year-old has been lights-out from three-point range, hitting 44.3 percent of his shots.

The Blazers are well on pace for their sixth straight playoff appearance, but McCollum is Portland's second-leading scorer who has averaged 20 or more points per game over his past four seasons. The Blazers need him back as soon as possible.