Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- An injured backcourt duo will suit up for the Spurs in a critical Game 4 against the Thunder.
- The team faces a must-win scenario with their three-headed guard group needing to elevate play in crucial minutes.
- The Thunder's defense has dominated when one star is off the floor, setting up a pivotal battle for San Antonio's season.
After taking Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs have dropped the last two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, they face what is practically a must-win Game 4, as only 15 teams in NBA history have ever successfully comeback from a 3-1 deficit.
But will the Spurs have their full cast of characters available to them? Here is the injury report going into Game 4.
Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox are not listed on the Game 4 injury report
Dylan Harper (groin) and De'Aaron Fox (ankle) have both been dealing with injuries during this series. Fox missed the first two games with his right ankle sprain, before making his series debut in Game 3. Meanwhile, Harper has not missed a game in this series, but he did leave Game 2 prematurely.
Both of them will be playing in Game 4, as neither of them are even listed in the most current version of the league's injury report. So, the Spurs will technically be fully healthy for Game 4.
The reason we say technically is because neither Harper nor Fox looked 100 percent in Game 3, and given how intense this clash has been, it is unlikely that this will change after just one day of rest between games.
Projected San Antonio Spurs starting lineup for Game 4
With Fox and Harper both good to go for Game 4, here is what the Spurs starting lineup/depth chart will likely look like:
STARTER | POSITION | BENCH |
|---|---|---|
De'Aaron Fox | PG | Dylan Harper |
Stephon Castle | SG | Carter Bryant |
Devin Vassell | SF | Keldon Johnson |
Julian Champagnie | PF | Harrison Barnes |
Victor Wembanyama | C | Luke Kornet |
Why the Spurs need a great night from De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper to win Game 4
As we've highlighted before, the Spurs need their three-headed backcourt monster to produce for them to survive this ferocious Thunder defense (which finished first in the regular season in Defensive Rating).
Stephon Castle struggled mightily in Games 1 and 2 with ball security because he was asked to do way too much ball handling with Fox out and Harper hobbled. He set a playoff record with a combined 21 turnovers in those two games. However, in Game 3, Castle was able to scale back his usage, leading to just one turnover in over 34 minutes of action.
Still, the Spurs need Fox and Harper to transcend their diminished physical states even more to win Game 4. All series long, the Spurs have struggled to navigate the time that Wembanyama is on the bench. When he is on the floor (125 minutes), the Spurs are outscoring the Thunder by 21 points. But when Wemby is on the bench (29 minutes), the Thunder are beating the Spurs by 38 points.
That has been the difference in the series so far. So, to turn things around, San Antonio will need Harper and Fox to elevate their games in the non-Wemby minutes to keep things closer to even.
For the Thunder, Jalen Williams is listed as questionable (hamstring). Meanwhile, Ajay Mitchell (soleus) and Thomas Sorber (ACL) are both out.
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