Spurs exclude Victor Wembanyama (ankle) from matchup against Nuggets

The San Antonio Spurs have ruled out their star center Victor Wembanyama for the matchup against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night due to soreness in his right ankle.

The Spurs made this announcement approximately 45 minutes prior to the game against the visiting Nuggets and Nikola Jokic, which features two of the top teams in the Western Conference.

Wembanyama, who was listed as questionable on the NBA injury report leading up to the game, tested his ankle before the game, but the Spurs decided to hold him out.

“We’ll be mindful of all of it,” said coach Mitch Johnson. “Fortunately, I think regardless, this is something we view as very short term. It’s very much how he’s feeling versus the risk of the bigger picture.”

ESPN’s Michael C. Wright contributed to this report.