San Antonio Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox has been ruled out of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night due to a sprained right ankle.
Fox was listed as questionable on Monday afternoon prior to the decision that came less than an hour before tip-off.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson felt Fox would be able to play when he met with reporters not long before the verdict was announced.
At the mid-day shootaround, Fox told reporters he would test the ankle prior to the game.
Fox injured the ankle during Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ayo Dosunmu of the Timberwolves landed on Fox’s ankle while pursuing a loose ball.
Fox did play in the final two games of the series, scoring 18 points in Game 5 and 21 in Game 6. He shot 8 of 10 from the floor and added nine assists in the series finale.
Fox, 28, is averaging 18.8 points and 5.8 assists in 11 games this postseason. During the regular season, he averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 assists in 72 games (all starts) while earning his second career All-Star Game nod.
Rookie Dylan Harper and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Keldon Johnson figure to be in line for bigger roles with Fox out.
Forward Luke Kornet (left foot) is available to play. He also was listed as questionable.
