De’Aaron Fox’s toughness praised after heroic return, but Spurs left stunned by fresh injury scare originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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De'Aaron Fox made an emotional return for the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3, but the night quickly turned concerning after he re-aggravated his ankle injury during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs not only suffered a 123-108 loss in the Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center, but they also watched one of their key stars go down again.
ESPN reporter Michael C. Wright praised Fox’s toughness after the game.
“Gotta give it to Fox, though. Played Games 4 and 5 of the conference semis on that bad wheel, then fought to get back into the lineup for this series knowing his squad needed him. Tough break for Fox if he can't go the rest of this series. Clearly, he re-aggravated that ankle,” Wright tweeted.
The injury occurred while Fox was fighting Lu Dort for a loose ball, and Dort’s momentum appeared to twist Fox’s ankle as both players crashed to the floor. Fox stayed down in visible pain while the Spurs briefly played shorthanded on the opposite end. Even after getting to the bench, he continued to look uncomfortable and struggled with the pain.
Meanwhile, Dylan Harper was also available for Game 3 despite dealing with an adductor injury. Victor Wembanyama spoke supportively about both injured teammates after the loss.
"It pains me to see them in pain,” Wembanyama said. “I trust that they're going to be healthy soon and come back. They should take care of their health... like we did game one, we're gonna have their back."
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson also acknowledged the physical toll the series has taken on his roster, while talking about Fox and Harper's injury.
“I haven’t asked how they’re doing,” Johnson said. “I'm sure they’re beat up. They're giving us everything they’ve got. It's commendable, the fight that they have.”
Fox had already missed Games 1 and 2 because of the same ankle injury before being cleared shortly before tipoff after testing it during warmups. He showed flashes of his usual impact, but he still appeared far from fully healthy. If the ankle issue continues to limit him moving forward, it could significantly hurt the Spurs’ chances as the series progresses.
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