De’Aaron Fox is dealing with right ankle soreness after leaving Sunday’s Game 4 in Minnesota early in the second half, and the Spurs will likely wait until after shootaround or Mitch Johnson’s pre-game news conference before deciding whether he can play in Game 5 on Tuesday night.
The timing matters because the series is tied after Sunday’s game, and Fox has been central to what San Antonio is trying to do. He is averaging just under 17 points per game in the series with four assists, and he is one of three Spurs averaging 18 or more points in the postseason. If he cannot go, the Spurs would be leaning on depth that has already mattered all year.
Dylan Harper is the most obvious next man up. He has started four games this year and none in the postseason, so a move into the starting five in Game 5 would give him his first playoff start in his NBA career. Harper has been productive when given the chance, averaging nearly 14 points this postseason, and he has scored 18 or more points in half of the games against the Timberwolves.
The Spurs were already asked to absorb a rough night in Minnesota after Victor Wembanyama was ejected in the first quarter of Sunday’s Game 4. That left San Antonio to finish a tight postseason game without one of its biggest names, and it now may have to do the same with Fox if the ankle keeps him out. Stephon Castle is also available to help with scoring and playmaking, giving the Spurs another option if they need to shuffle the lineup again.
For San Antonio, the issue is not just whether Fox can suit up. It is whether a team built to spread responsibility can keep its rhythm if one of its best scoring and passing threats is limited at the moment the series hangs in the balance. Tuesday night will answer that quickly enough.
