The Spurs travel back to San Antonio to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.
There are injury concerns for both teams, but the Spurs appear to be impacted harder.
Already without star point guard De’Aaron Fox, who is nursing a right ankle sprain, San Antonio managed to pull out a Game 1 win in double overtime. But in Game 2, the Spurs were hit with a major injury blow to standout rookie guard Dylan Harper.
Harper is listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 3 with right adductor soreness, but according to NBA insider Brian Windhorst, the Spurs should brace to potentially be without their star rookie for a while.
“Dylan Harper — an adductor injury is a soft-tissue injury; I think you should be prepared, for the Spurs, to play without their guards again tonight,” Windhorst said on Friday’s “Get Up.”
Spurs Faced With Pivotal Tilt as Dylan Harper Injury Deals Blow
GettyThe San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder continue to face off in the Western Conference Finals.
Fox was hit with ankle trouble in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The 28-year-old San Antonio star reportedly reaggravated his ankle toward the end of the series.
As for Harper, he pulled up lame in the third quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday night. Originally believed to suffer a hamstring injury, Harper’s injury is listed as adductor soreness, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there is any less concern.
Harper exited Game 2 and did not return. He finished with 12 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Injuries to Harper, who was starting to round into a legitimate playoff star, and Fox immediately puts pressure on Victor Wembanyama to contribute more offense in Game 3 and potentially beyond.
“That is going to put even more onus on Victor Wembanyama being able to dominate and puts more onus on the whistle,” Windhorst warned. “When your team is injured and your team is diminished, you need the whistle more.”
Harper’s Game 2 was a continuation of what he showed in Game 1, where he contributed 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and seven steals in 47 minutes.
Thunder to Pounce on Injured Backcourt
GettyOklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacts.
Injuries to the Spurs guards is good news for the Thunder.
With the Spurs potentially without Harper and Fox, both fast and explosive two-way guards, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Ajay Mitchell will benefit immediately.
They’ll look to feast offensively and exploit the lack of offense coming from the backcourt for the Spurs, allowing the Thunder to zone in on Wembanyama more exclusively.
That leaves second-year guard Stephon Castle having to take on large responsibility. Castle, not a natural floor general at this stage of his career, has tried to take the reins as the point guard, but the Thunder have fed off his mistakes.
The 21-year-old Castle has 20 giveaways over the first two games of the series.
Thunder rotational stars Cason Wallace and Jared McCain have been massively impactful coming off the bench. With the Spurs’ defensive identity hit hard by injuries, Wallace and McCain can continue to move more freely on offense and take advantage defensively against the Jordan McLaughin’s of the world.
Both the Thunder and the Spurs will be desperate for a win in Game 3, but the road team appears to have the upper hand as the series shifts to San Antonio.
Spurs Hit With Alarming Dylan Harper Injury Timeline Ahead of Game 3