Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Two key guards for the San Antonio Spurs face uncertain availability for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.
- Injuries have plagued both teams, but the Spurs' depth could be severely tested if their Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox remains sidelined.
- The outcome of tonight's game may hinge on whether either of the questionable guards can suit up and impact the turnover-prone Spurs offense.
Through two games, the Western Conference Finals series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs has lived up to all its hype. After a thrilling double-overtime victory for the Spurs in Game 1, the Thunder responded with a poised Game 2 showing to even up the series.
Unfortunately, this matchup may not be decided by who is the better team, but rather, by who is the healthier one. Jalen Williams may not be available in Game 3 after missing the entire second round with a hamstring injury, and the Spurs may be even more beat up than the Thunder.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Report
There is a possibility that the Spurs will have to play their first home game of the series without two prongs of their three-headed monster. De'Aaron Fox, who has yet to play a second in this round, is listed as questionable with a right ankle sprain. Meanwhile, Dylan Harper, who exited Game 2 with a leg injury of his own, is also listed as questionable.
While I don't have an exact science to it, I have created an artificial rule for these injury designations. Usually, when a player is listed as doubtful, they have about a 25% chance of playing. When they are listed as questionable, they have a 50% chance of playing. And when they are listed as probable, they have roughly a 75% chance of playing. So, based on this, both Fox and Harper are basically a coin flip to play tonight.
There is reason for optimism, though, if you are a fan of the Spurs or of healthy hoops. Fox did go through pregame warmups before being ruled out of Game 2. So, he is getting closer and closer to returning. On the flip side, Harper did try to get back into the game in Game 2, before he was stopped by team medical staff and ruled out for the rest of the night.
One thing is for certain. The Spurs need at least one of those guards to play tonight if they hope to have any chance against the Thunder tonight. Turnovers have been a massive issue for them (21 in each game thus far), and Stephon Castle has been going through it in the worst way possible after being entrusted with excess responsibility.
San Antonio Spurs projected starting lineup without De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper
If both of those Southpaws can't go, here is what the Spurs' starting lineup and second string will (probably) look like for Game 3.
Starter | Position | Bench |
|---|---|---|
Stephon Castle | PG | Jordan McLaughlin |
Devin Vassell | SG | McLaughlin/Bryant/Castle |
Julian Champagnie | SF | Carter Bryant |
Keldon Johnson | PF | Harrison Barnes |
Victor Wembanyama | C | Luke Kornet |
The Spurs were a pretty deep team in the regular season. But they look a lot less loaded if you take Harper and Fox out of the mix. Hopefully, for their sake, they are back in the fold, sooner rather than later.
For the Thunder, as we mentioned, Williams is listed as questionable with left hamstring soreness. Thomas Sorber continues to be out as he rehabs from a torn ACL.
More NBA news and analysis:
Add us as a preferred source on Google