De'Aaron Fox Returns Early as Okc Coach Watches Game 3 Ankle Hit
De'Aaron Fox returned early in the fourth quarter of Game 3 after his right ankle was bothered again, giving the Spurs their guard back after a stretch that had already kept him out of the first two games against Oklahoma City. The 28-year-old played through the issue anyway, and okc coach had to manage a matchup in which Fox was never close to full strength.
Fox’s ankle took another hit
The latest setback came late in the third quarter when Lu Dort dove on Fox’s right ankle. Fox went back to the locker room and then came back early in the fourth, which kept him on the floor for a game San Antonio still needed from him even while he was visibly limited.
Fox’s final line showed how much he still contributed despite the pain: 15 points, six assists, seven rebounds and four turnovers in nearly 31 minutes. Those numbers are the clearest sign that he was available but not operating at his normal level.
Game 4 to Game 6
This has been building since Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when the ankle issue began. Fox re-aggravated it in Game 6 against Minnesota, then missed the first two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of the aftereffects.
That timeline matters because the Spurs have spent the opening stretch of the 2026 NBA Western Conference final trying to keep pace without one of their primary guards. Fox’s return in Game 3 did not erase the injury; it only showed how much he is willing to carry while the ankle is still bothering him.
Fox and the Thunder
After the game, Fox did not hide the discomfort. “Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely tough,” he said. He also called the Dort dive “a play that could have been avoidable, but it is what it is.”
His other comments said as much about availability as they did about pain. “Obviously it is disappointing not being able to be 100 percent,” said. “But like I said, I’m able to be out there, so that’s all that matters to me right now.”
For San Antonio, the immediate reality is simple: Fox is still playing through a right ankle injury that has already cost him two games, and every trip, cut and landing now comes with extra risk. That leaves the Spurs balancing his presence against how much more punishment the ankle can take in this series.
