SAN ANTONIO -- Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said he expects injured guards De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper to both play Sunday in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals at Frost Bank Center.
Both game-time decisions ahead of the team's Game 3 loss to Oklahoma City, Fox (right high ankle sprain) and Harper (right adductor) played against the Thunder, with the former leaving briefly in the second half after tweaking his ankle before returning to finish the game.
"They came out of the game and finished on their own accord," Johnson said. "I took them out. So, that's a plus. And as of now, we expect them [to be] ready to go. Those guys are giving us all they've got, and I commend them, tip my cap, because they're competing their asses off and they're not 100%. I would say that's probably where we hope it to kind of be until it's not."
Fox helped San Antonio seize a 15-0 lead to start off Game 3, scoring four of his nine first-quarter points in addition to logging a steal and a rebound in the first two minutes and 37 seconds of the action. The fast start helped the Spurs become the second team since 1997-98 to begin a postseason outing on a 15-0 run or better and lose.
Fox finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and a steal.
"I feel all right, good enough to play," he said after the game. "So, that's all that matters."
Harper, a rookie, originally suffered his injury in the third quarter of Game 2 but was able to play 17 minutes in Game 3.
The availability of Fox and Harper for Game 3 was welcomed by second-year guard Stephon Castle, who has handled the bulk of San Antonio's ballhandling duties throughout the series. Acknowledging that fatigue has played a role in his 21 turnovers -- including 20 over the first two games -- due to a lack of ballhandling depth, Castle said having Fox and Harper back in the lineup helps on both ends of the floor.
"It helps with all we do on the defensive end, and having to initiate our offense with the way [Oklahoma City] guards, over time, it does get tiring. So, to be able to lean on each other throughout the game definitely helps."
With Fox sitting out Games 1 and 2, San Antonio averaged 22 turnovers with Oklahoma City scoring an average of 27.5 points. The Spurs surrendered 20 points off 15 turnovers in Fox's return.
"It pains me to see them in pain," Victor Wembanyama said of Fox and Harper. "I trust they're going to be healthy soon. They should take care of their health. As always, like we did in Game 1, we're going to have their backs."
