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San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox during a playoff game as his status remains uncertain ahead of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

De’Aaron Fox’s night took a worrying turn in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

The Spurs point guard suddenly headed to the bench with a fresh injury concern, leaving the building tense and the matchup hanging in the balance.

Fox had already been listed as available after missing the first two games of the Thunder series with a high right ankle sprain.

As JeffGSpursZone tweeted it, “De’Aaron Fox goes to the bench… Apparently hurt and was limping.” The scene immediately raised alarms because Fox had just worked his way back from that same ankle issue, and now the Spurs were forced to worry about whether he had aggravated it again.

Fox​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ seemed obviously very hurt. Even prior to the injury, he had been supplying San Antonio with the lift they most needed, in terms of ball handling and pace. The idea was that Fox being on the floor would bring some calm and order to Spurs’ offense again after his first appearance in the ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌series.

He had 13 points while helping San Antonio stay organized offensively, and the Spurs were leaning on him to keep pressure on Oklahoma City’s defense. That made the injury moment even more concerning, because his play had been one of the biggest positives for San Antonio.

But now he is back in the game.

The larger picture is simple. Fox is a major part of what San Antonio wants to do, and any setback around his right ankle immediately changes the tone of the game and the rest of the series.

The Spurs entered Game 3 tied 1-1 with the Thunder, and Fox’s health now looms as one of the biggest storylines to watch.