Jalen Williams is ruled out for Game 3 in San Antonio, though Dylan Harper and De’Aaron Fox return to the floor.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs guards De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper both played in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, though Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams was ruled out.
All three were listed as questionable but their status was updated 45 minutes before the scheduled start of the Thunder’s 123-108 victory in Game 3.
Williams played in Game 1 after missing the previous six postseason contests with a hamstring injury. The 6-foot-6 wing exited Game 2 with tightness in his left hamstring.
Recurring hamstring injuries in both legs limited Williams to 33 games during the regular season.
Fox, who opened the scoring and finished with 15 points and six assists in 31 minutes, missed the first two games of the series after his right leg was rolled on by Minnesota guard Ayo Dosunmu in San Antonio’s semifinal-clinching victory May 15. Fox finished that game but did not play Monday or Wednesday due to an injury Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said will likely linger as long as they are in the postseason.
Harper, delivering six points off the bench, made his first two postseason starts in place of Fox but exited Game 2 shortly after landing awkwardly and grabbing his hamstring with 4:50 left in the third quarter. His injury was diagnosed as right adductor soreness.
“I can tell you there’s games that people are playing right now that wouldn’t be playing in the regular season, and, so, that’s what I mean by different,” Johnson said. “I think there are levels of competitiveness and urgency and as of right now we’re at the height of that. So, you just try to make sure you keep some of these guys from themselves and their own competitiveness and desire to be out there because, again, their well-being is still the priority.”
