Spurs’ De’Aaron Fox (ankle) out again for Game 2 vs. Thunder

May 20, 2026, 07:52 PM ET

San Antonio Spurs starting guard De’Aaron Fox is sitting out his second consecutive game Wednesday night against the host Oklahoma City Thunder because of a right high ankle sprain.

Fox suffered the injury in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Timberwolves when Minnesota guard Ayo Dosunmu landed on Fox’s ankle while diving for a loose ball.

Fox finished Game 4 and played in Games 5 and 6 as the Spurs closed the series. But he sat out Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Thunder on Monday night.

On Wednesday, Fox again tried to go through a pregame workout, but his ankle remained a problem. The Spurs had held out hope until about an hour before game time that Fox could play, and coach Mitch Johnson — just as he did Monday — indicated that Fox’s status will be a series of game-time decisions for the rest of the season.

“It’ll be pretty status quo moving forward, I believe, regardless of if he plays in games or not,” Johnson said. “This’ll be just kind of the world we live in.”

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A nine-year veteran, Fox is averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the playoffs after averaging 18.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds during the regular season.

Before the West finals, Fox hadn’t sat out a game since March 25 and started 72 games during the regular season. The Spurs entered Wednesday with an 8-3 record without Fox this season.

The Spurs kept Dylan Harper in the starting lineup in his place.

Harper — who was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie first team Wednesday — was brilliant in the Spurs’ Game 1 win, with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a team playoff record seven steals.

Harper, who turned 20 on March 2, is the second-youngest player to have appeared in this season’s playoffs, behind only Minnesota’s Joan Beringer and Phoenix’s Khaman Maluach — both still just 19. Beringer and Maluach combined to score 24 points in this season’s playoffs, matching the total that Harper had in Game 1 against the Thunder alone.

“He didn’t just get this talented or this good,” Johnson said. “For him to buy into the role that was in front of him, for him to do what was asked and be held accountable and learn what it took and what we needed to win games and be a part of it — while probably suppressing some of his individual capabilities — is hard to do for a 19- to 20-year-old.

“For him to be able to do that and grow as a winning team player and then have his individual talent pop as well — it’s hard to do in this league at any time. Doing it as a rookie in the playoffs is ridiculous.”

ESPN’s Michael C. Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.