De'Aaron Fox (ankle) and Dylan Harper (hip) listed active for Spurs ahead of Game 3

San Antonio updated its Game 3 availability list Friday to include De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper as active, while Oklahoma City ruled Jalen Williams out before tipoff. The changes settled the biggest pregame personnel questions in the Western Conference finals opener in Texas. The series arrived at Frost Bank Center tied 1-1 after two games in Oklahoma City. The NBA and multiple published game reports said the final status updates came about 45 minutes before the scheduled start. ### Which players were cleared and who stayed out? De’Aaron Fox was cleared for San Antonio after missing the first two games of the series with a right ankle sprain, according to published Game 3 reports citing the league injury report. Dylan Harper was also cleared after entering the day as questionable. Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams, who had been listed as questionable with left hamstring soreness, was ruled out. (nba.com) The NBA’s injury reporting rules require teams to identify participation status and a specific injury designation ahead of games, with updates issued as conditions change. In this case, the final Game 3 changes arrived shortly before tipoff rather than earlier in the day. ### Why did Fox’s status draw so much attention? (nba.com) Fox had not played in the first two games of the series because of the ankle injury he suffered in the previous round, according to NBC Sports and other pregame reports. His return restored San Antonio’s starting point guard and a primary ballhandler as the series shifted home. (official.nba.com) Hoops Rumors, citing ESPN’s Shams Charania, reported Fox had been cleared after sitting out Games 1 and 2. The same report said San Antonio had felt his absence in organizing the offense and limiting turnovers, an assessment attributed to that outlet’s review of the first two games. (nbcsports.com) ### What was Harper dealing with entering Friday? Dylan Harper entered Game 3 with a soreness issue after leaving Game 2 in the third quarter, according to multiple pregame reports. Some outlets described the injury as right adductor soreness, while social media posts referenced a hip flexor issue. The official and mainstream pregame reports available Friday described Harper as questionable before he was later cleared. (hoopsrumors.com) Harper had moved into a larger role with Fox unavailable earlier in the series. NBC Sports reported he scored 24 points in Game 1 after stepping into San Antonio’s starting lineup. ### What did Williams’ absence mean for Oklahoma City? Jalen Williams remained unavailable for Oklahoma City after entering the night as questionable, with published reports tying the designation to hamstring soreness. (okcthunderwire.usatoday.com) The final ruling left the Thunder without one of their top perimeter scorers and creators for Game 3 in San Antonio. (nbcsports.com) USA Today’s Thunder Wire had listed Williams as questionable earlier Friday, and later game coverage reflected that he did not play. The Associated Press version carried by NBA.com and local stations said his status changed with the other late pregame updates. (nba.com) ### When and where was Game 3 played? Game 3 was scheduled for Friday night, May 23, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Published schedules and live coverage pages said the Western Conference finals resumed there after the teams split the first two games in Oklahoma City. NBC and Peacock were listed as the broadcast outlets in pregame coverage. (okcthunderwire.usatoday.com) The next immediate marker in the series comes with Game 4 in San Antonio, following Friday’s Game 3, as the Spurs and Thunder continue the Western Conference finals with Fox, Harper and Williams remaining central names on the injury report. (official.nba.com) (sports.yahoo.com)