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De'Aaron Fox injury update
The San Antonio Spurs received another injury scare Friday night after De’Aaron Fox appeared to aggravate his right ankle injury during a 123-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
Fox returned to the lineup after missing the first two games of the series with a high ankle sprain suffered during the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The All-Star guard finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in 31 minutes, but he appeared limited after re-injuring the ankle late in the third quarter.
The injury came after Thunder guard Lu Dort dove for a loose ball and collided with Fox’s right leg, the same ankle that had already sidelined him earlier in the series. Fox stayed down briefly before limping to the bench and later heading to the locker room during the break between quarters. He returned in the fourth quarter and immediately recorded a basket and an assist as San Antonio attempted to rally at home.
Fox’s latest setback adds to San Antonio’s growing injury concerns during the series against the defending NBA champions.
ESPN’s Michael C. Wright wrote on X: “Gotta give it to Fox, though. Played Games 4 and 5 of the conference semis on that bad wheel, then fought to get back into the lineup for this series knowing his squad needed him. Tough break for Fox if he can’t go the rest of this series. Clearly, he re-aggravated that ankle.”
Gotta give it to Fox, though. Played Games 4 and 5 of the conference semis on that bad wheel, then fought to get back into the lineup for this series knowing his squad needed him. Tough break for Fox if he can’t go the rest of this series. Clearly, he re-aggravated that ankle.
The injury sequence closely resembled the original play that caused the sprain against Minnesota. Fox previously played through the injury in Games 5 and 6 of that series before sitting out the first two games against Oklahoma City.
Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson recently explained the severity of the injury.
“It’s a tough injury that he wouldn’t be playing with in the regular season,” Johnson said. “He tried to tough it out in that Minnesota series, and then had an awkward landing, and so he re-aggravated it, and we just got to make sure that he’s in a place that he can get out there and compete to the level that he would need to in the game.”
Fox’s absence was noticeable earlier in the series as Oklahoma City focused heavily on second-year guard Stephon Castle and disrupted San Antonio’s ball-handling rotations.
“At all times we have two of us out there, and we’re all able to play off of one another,” Fox said earlier during the playoffs. “We can all get to the basket, we all make our open shots, we facilitate for each other and other and other guys on the court, it just adds the dynamic of our team.”
San Antonio also entered Game 3 with rookie Dylan Harper listed as questionable because of a hamstring injury suffered in Game 2.
Despite missing forward Jalen Williams and losing Ajay Mitchell during the game, Oklahoma City recovered from an early deficit to take a 2-1 series lead.
San Antonio opened the game on a 15-0 run at home behind strong starts from Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. Wembanyama finished with 26 points, while Vassell added 20.
The Thunder still controlled the second half despite struggling performances from several starters. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot 6-for-17 from the field, Lu Dort finished scoreless, and rookie Jared McCain went 2-for-10 from three-point range. Chet Holmgren grabbed only three rebounds.
Even with those struggles, Oklahoma City forced turnovers and wore down San Antonio late in the game.
Fox attempted to push through the injury in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder closed the game strongly to secure the 15-point win.
The Spurs now face growing uncertainty heading into Game 4, with Fox dealing with another ankle setback and Harper still recovering from his hamstring issue. San Antonio’s backcourt depth has become a major storyline as the Western Conference Finals continue.
Debayan Biswas is a sports writer covering the NBA, NFL and Golf for Heavy.com. He focuses on breaking news, trades, and player stories. His work has been featured by Athlon Sports and Pro Football and Sports Network, with republication across platforms including Yahoo Sports and Yardbarker. More about Debayan Biswas
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