The San Antonio Spurs’ stacked backcourt is in danger of losing another key contributor.
Dylan Harper is a game-time decision for Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder after an MRI showed an adductor injury and not a hamstring, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Friday.
The 20-year-old rookie is expected to go through his pre-game routine before a decision is made on his status, Charania added.
Harper took two awkward falls about a minute apart in the third quarter of Game 2 and was ruled out not long afterward. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson didn’t have an update on him after San Antonio’s loss, which tied the series at 2-2.
The six-foot-five guard averaged 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in his first season, earning a fourth-place finish in Rookie of the Year voting. He’s turned it up a notch in the playoffs, averaging 14.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals.
San Antonio is also missing all-star guard De’Aaron Fox, who has missed the first two games of the series with a right ankle sprain.
Harper — who was named to the NBA’s all-rookie first team earlier Wednesday — was brilliant in the Spurs’ Game 1 win, with 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a team playoff record seven steals.
Game 3 against the Thunder tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT on Friday night.
–With files from the Associated Press
