San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili could miss the start of the NBA playoffs due to a strained hamstring, according to ESPN. The Spurs expect Ginobili to be sidelined for at least three to four weeks.

The timetable released by the Spurs on Monday comes a day after Ginobili was unable to play in the Spurs' 88-86 loss to the Miami Heat. The 35-year-old Ginobili injured his right hamstring in San Antonio's win over the Los Angeles Clippers last week.

San Antonio currently holds a 1.5 game lead ahead of Oklahoma City for the top seed in the Western Conference with 16 days remaining in the NBA regular season. The Spurs are now without their third-leading scorer as Ginobili is averaging 11.9 points and 4.6 assists this season.

The Spurs went 6-2 in the recent abscence of All-Star point guard Tony Parker before he returned last week from an ankle sprain.