De'Aaron Fox won't suit up for Monday night's Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs starting guard was ruled out with a right ankle sprain sustained in Game 4 of the semifinals when Minnesota's Ayo Dosunmu landed on his ankle during a scramble for a loose ball. Fox gutted through that Game 4 and played the next two, but coach Mitch Johnson acknowledged the injury "isn't going away for as long as we're playing."

Fox put up 18.8 points, 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds during the postseason after posting 18.6 points, 6.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds in the regular season. He'd started 72 games all season and hadn't missed a contest since March 25. The Spurs are 7-3 without him this year, but losing their backcourt engine for at least the series opener is a real problem against a Thunder team now at full strength.

Fox tried to test the ankle at shootaround but a second workout 90 minutes before tipoff clearly didn't go well. Spurs center Luke Kornet is available after being listed questionable with a left foot injury, while Jalen Williams returned to Oklahoma City's lineup after missing six games with a left hamstring strain. Without Fox for Game 1, San Antonio faces a steeper climb against a Thunder squad at full strength.