De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper were cleared to play in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday after both were listed as questionable earlier in the day.
Fox had been listed with a right ankle injury after suffering a high right ankle sprain in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals at Minnesota and missed the first two games of the conference finals. He played through pain to finish Games 5 and 6 of that semifinal series before sitting out Games 1 and 2 of the West finals, though he did participate in a pregame warmup before the Spurs held the nine‑year veteran out.
Harper was diagnosed with right adductor soreness after suffering the injury in the third quarter of Game 2 following a blocked layup attempt. His questionable tag carried particular weight because, before Friday's start, the Spurs had only Stephon Castle and Jordan McLaughlin listed among healthy guards after their Game 2 loss to Oklahoma City.
San Antonio entered Game 3 with the series tied, and the timing of the upgrades matters: both players were updated to available before the scheduled start. Fox entered the postseason averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds, and he had not missed a game since March 25 until sitting out the first two games of this series after starting 72 games in the regular season.
The hard facts create an immediate contrast. Fox arrives having recently played through a high right ankle sprain and then missed two games, while Harper returns from adductor soreness suffered late in Game 2. Their clearances directly address San Antonio's shortage of healthy guards heading into a pivotal Game 3.
That restoration of depth is visible from the first possessions: Fox's availability alters rotations that had been compressed by the injuries, and Harper's return gives the Spurs another option on the wing after he was hurt in the third quarter of Game 2. The upgrades came just before tipoff, underscoring how close both statuses were to remaining in doubt.
For a team that had relied on Castle and McLaughlin as its only healthy backcourt options after Game 2, the returns change the immediate picture on the floor. How the Spurs use Fox — who missed the opener and the second game of the West finals but had been a steady postseason contributor — will be the practical test of whether availability translates into meaningful on‑court impact in a series that is now level.
FilmoGaz covered the moment Fox returned to the court as the Spurs opened Game 3 with a 10‑0 burst: With both guards cleared, San Antonio's rotations for Game 3 are no longer defined by absence, and the Spurs head into Friday's game with a restored, if still fragile, backcourt.
