San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox was ruled out of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. He is suffering from right ankle soreness.
The announcement came roughly an hour before tip-off of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Fox’s Ankle Troubles
Fox was averaging 18.8 points and 5.8 assists in 33.3 minutes per game for the Spurs in these playoffs entering Monday. This made him a team leader.
He was at the team’s shootaround practice Monday morning. Fox was on the court about 90 minutes before Game 1, testing the ankle to see what he could do.
“Trying to test it out,” Fox said after the team’s morning workout.
The test, evidently, did not go to his liking.
“It’s one of those deals where it’s not going away for as long as we’re playing, I don’t believe,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
Thunder’s Jalen Williams Returns
The Thunder are getting Jalen Williams back for Game 1 after he missed six games with a hamstring issue.
Key Facts About Fox’s Absence
- De’Aaron Fox is out of Game 1 due to right ankle soreness.
- He averaged 18.8 points and 5.8 assists in the playoffs before the injury.
- Fox tested his ankle before the game, but it didn’t go to his liking.
The Spurs face the Thunder in the Western Conference finals opener without Fox, while the Thunder get Williams back into the lineup.