Spurs’ Dylan Harper (hamstring) exits Game 2 loss, set for MRI

OKLAHOMA CITY — Spurs rookie guard Dylan Harper suffered a proper hamstring harm within the third quarter of Wednesday evening’s 122-113 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, delivering yet one more blow to San Antonio’s depleted backcourt.

Harper’s harm occurred after veteran guard De’Aaron Fox missed his second consecutive recreation due to a proper excessive ankle sprain suffered in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. Harper had been filling in for Fox within the beginning lineup.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson could not present an replace on Harper’s standing for Friday’s Game 3. Sources advised ESPN that Harper will endure an MRI on Thursday in San Antonio.

“[Oklahoma City] is as good as anybody,” Johnson mentioned, with the sequence now tied at 1 and headed again to the Spurs’ residence court docket. “They turn you over. So when you’re down some of your primary creators and initiators, it causes a little bit of an extra strain, whether that’s who to play, what to play, what to run, etc. It’s tough fully loaded against these guys.”

Complicating issues is the truth that Stephen Castlethe Spurs’ one remaining wholesome lead guard, has dedicated 20 turnovers over the primary two video games of the sequence, essentially the most miscues in a two-game span by a participant within the playoffs since they had been first tracked in 1977. San Antonio has turned over the ball 44 occasions this sequence, with Oklahoma City scoring 55 factors off the miscues.

“Steph is a dog,” Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson he mentioned. “He’ll figure it out. We support him every step of the way. [He] turned the ball over. We all turn the ball over. “It’s not simply on Steph.”

Castle has served as the primary ball handler on 97 plays in the Western Conference finals: 54 in Game 1 and 43 in Game 2. He controlled the ball more as the primary ball handler in those two games than he had in any previous game in the playoffs.

“It’s extra private on my finish, simply actually dashing myself up, not permitting our screeners to get hits,” said Castle, who still produced his third game with at least 25 points and five assists this postseason, the most by a Spurs player since Kawhi Leonard had four in 2017. “So it is placing me able the place I’ve to play quick or my screener would possibly get an offensive foul. So I’m placing us at a drawback to start out the sport with these. Some of it comes with fatigue, however at this level of the season, there’s actually no excuse.”

Castle’s importance came into sharper focus when Harper fell to the court and grabbed at his right leg with 5:25 left in the third quarter after driving to the basket for a layup that was blocked by Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Harper was subbed out and replaced by Carter Bryant at 4:50 of the quarter.

Harper left the floor and headed to the locker room. He returned to the bench briefly before walking back toward the locker room.

Fox played through pain to finish Games 5 and 6 of the conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves and participated in warmups for the first two games of the West finals, but the team decided to hold out the nine-year veteran, who is averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game this postseason after averaging 18.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds during the regular season.

Prior to sitting out Games 1 and 2 of the West finals, Fox hadn’t missed a game since March 25 and had started 72 games in the regular season. San Antonio owns a record of 8-4 this season without Fox in the lineup.

“He’s simply making an attempt to play on daily basis,” Mitch Johnson said. “It’s a troublesome harm that he would not be taking part in with within the common season. So he is making an attempt to powerful it out. He did that in Minnesota. He had an ungainly touchdown, so he reaggravated it. We’ve simply bought to verify he is in a spot that he may be on the market and compete to the extent that he would want to within the recreation that we’re taking part in.”

Harper, 20, was named to the Victor Wembanyamathe first player to average 30 points and 20 rebounds in the first two games of a playoff series since Shaquille O’Neal in the 2001 NBA Finals, admitted the team struggled without two of its top three ball handlers.

“We did not do an important job at it at the moment, however we want [to] assist for certain by taking good care of the ball, serving to the primary ball handlers and being aggressive,” Wembanyama said.

If Fox and Harper are unable to return Friday for Game 3, the Spurs will read on backup guard Jordan McLaughlin and reserve forward Johnson to take on larger roles as ball handlers. McLaughlin played seven minutes in Game 2 while Johnson played 26 minutes.

“We’ve handled accidents so much this season, and I all the time say that is the following man up mentality,” Spurs ahead Devin Vassell he mentioned. “I do not know what is going on on with Dylan. I do not know the timetable. I hope every thing’s promising. Hopefully, Foxy is again on this [next] recreation. Right now, I’ve all of the optimism that we’ll be good. Right now, I’m not talking something damaging. I’ve religion we’ll be able to go Friday.”

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and ESPN Research contributed to this report.