The San Antonio Spurs have a golden opportunity to take the lead against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals, marking their first home game at the Frost Bank Center; however, there are concerns over the availability of Dylan Harper.
Harper will available for Game 3. Harper, who was listed as questionable due to right adductor soreness, went to a pregame routine for the team to decide on his status, ESPN reported.
This was bad news for the Spurs, but fortunately they also got good news on De’Aaron Fox, who will be available for Game 3 against OKC. De’Aaron is set to debut in the best-of-seven series after missing the first two games due to a right ankle sprain.
What happened to Harper?
In the third quarter of Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the series at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, rising Spurs star Dylan Harper appeared to have suffered a lower-body injury while trying to attack the Thunder’s interior defense. Dylan Harper hurt his right adductor in Game 2. After that action, Harper was forced to exit in the third quarter and did not return.
Dylan Harper of San Antonio Spurs.
Before he left the game, Harper scored 12 points on an efficient 5-for-10 shooting from the field, all inside the arc, to go along with two rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes.
In the Spurs’ 122-115 double-overtime win in Game 1 versus the Thunder, he had 24 points and 11 rebounds to go with six assists and seven steals in 47 minutes. In addition, this indicates that Stephon Castle will face an increased minutes load if Harper is ruled out.
The complicated situation for the Spurs
The Spurs could see both Harper and Fox play after they dealt with injuries at a crucial point in the season. Now San Antonio needs their two main ball handlers, but also does not want to risk further health concerns in this series and a potential NBA Finals series.
