De'Aaron Fox's Status Still up in the air for Game 2 Between OKC Thunder-Spurs

The Thunder suffered their most dissapointing loss of the season on Monday, dropping Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals to the San Antonio Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama lived up to his generational moniker, going for 41 points and 24 rebounds in the double-overtime tilt, which ended with San Antonio grabbing a seven-point lead. The Thunder could've played better on a number of fronts, though all were spurred by solid Spurs play on both ends.

Now, for the first time in nearly a calendar year, Oklahoma City officially has its back against the wall. Tonight, they risk going down 0-2 at home, before the series swings back to San Antonio. Still, they'll certainly have tactical changes they can make that could swing things in their favor.

The injury report has already majorly factored into the series, and will continue to. Here are the injury reports for both teams ahead of a fateful Game 2:

OKC Thunder injuries:

Thomas Sorber — Out: Right ACL surgical recovery

San Antonio Spurs:

De’Aaron Fox — Out: Right ankle soreness

For the second consecutive game, Oklahoma City lists only rookie Thomas Sorber on its injury report, who is out for the season due to an ACL injury. Notably, one-time All-Star Jalen Williams has been excluded after going through a third stint with an injury report.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said there was no hard cap on Williams’ minutes in Game 1, though that likely wasn’t accounting for two extra periods. He totaled 37 minutes, going for 26 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block and steal apiece.

If there was any question that Williams would be needed to win in the Western Conference Finals, it was answered on Monday, as he was one of a few players with real scoring aggression on OKC’s end. He’ll continue to play a vital part, even in an up-and-down season due to injury.

The Spurs continue to list All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who missed Game 1 due to ankle soreness. Rookie guard Dylan Harper was able to step up in his absence, going for 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and six assists in looking like one of the best players on the floor.

Fox’s return would be interesting for a myriad of reasons. In theory, he could help San Antonio with his speed and experience, though he’ll also be taking the ball out of Harper’s hands, and has seen some scoring struggles already this season.

The Thunder and Spurs tip off Game 2 Wednesday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. CT.

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