NBA Player News

The red-hot Byron Mullens was slated to get the start at power forward in the lineup that was submitted, but D.J. White actually started the game.

Fox, who injured his right ankle during the Minnesota series, did not play in Monday’s double-overtime victory. Dylan Harper started and was outstanding, recording 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, seven steals, one three-pointer and one turnover. The rookie would get another start if Fox can’t play. Also, Stephon Castle must take better care of the ball after committing 11 turnovers on Monday.

While his final stat line in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals was not notable, Wallace’s playing time was. The third-year guard logged 28 minutes in the double-overtime thriller and replaced Isaiah Hartenstein in the lineup to begin the third quarter. Hartenstein was limited to 12 minutes on Monday, finishing with two points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks. The playing time is something to keep an eye on for Game 2, especially if the Spurs have De’Aaron Fox after a right ankle injury sidelined him for Game 1.

Harper slid into the starting lineup with De’Aaron Fox (ankle) unavailable for this game, and he took advantage of the opportunity. Harper split ball handling duties with Stephon Castle and truly looked like a 10-year veteran, not a 20-year-old rookie. If Fox returns for Game 2 on Wednesday, Harper will likely be pushed back to playing a reserve role, though that will still be enough minutes for him to continue to make an impact, especially after how well he played in this one.

With De’Aaron Fox (ankle) sidelined, Castle took on more responsibility as the primary ball handler for San Antonio. The results were mixed; he facilitated well, but he also turned the ball over a ton. He reached double-digit assists for the second time this postseason, but he technically recorded a triple-double due to how many turnovers he had. It wasn’t an efficient performance, but Castle had some bright moments, and they were still able to steal Game 1 on the road without Fox.

In his first conference finals appearance, Wemby made a massive impact early and often. He entered halftime with a double-double and was incredibly active on the offensive glass. He set a new career high for offensive boards for both the regular season and playoffs. Of course, he made a monster impact on both ends of the floor, which included multiple big plays down the stretch to help the Spurs take the first game of this series and homecourt advantage. This was an otherworldly performance, but against a team as talented as OKC, he’ll need to keep it up throughout the series.

Williams was available to play for the first time since Game 2 of their first-round series against the Suns. It was a rough season for him, largely due to various injuries, but he was able to produce at a high level in his return to the lineup. It wasn’t enough for OKC to take the first game of the series, but this team is as healthy as it has been all season. Even with the loss, having Williams play this well has to be encouraging.

It certainly wasn’t the best performance for the back-to-back MVP, but SGA was able to make some big plays late in this game. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, including a layup with three seconds left to force overtime. However, he was held to just two points in the two extra periods, which led to OKC’s first loss of the postseason. He’ll need to be much better moving forward if they want to bounce back from this game on Wednesday.

Over the last few years, Caruso has been at his best when the stakes are the highest. That held true in the first game of the Western Conference Finals, as he had the best offensive performance of his playoff career. He set new playoff career highs for both points and three-pointers while making Victor Wembanyama’s life difficult on the other end of the floor. Even if it doesn’t show up in the box score during the regular season, Caruso is one of the most impactful players in this series, and they’ll need him to continue to play at a high level to get back to the NBA Finals. However, there likely won’t be more 30-point games in his future.

After spending 12 seasons in the NBA, Ingles will return home to Australia on a two-year deal. Ingles had a successful NBA career, but his playing time dwindled over the last few seasons. The 38-year-old Aussie will likely wrap up his professional career back home.

Kornet was initially listed as questionable for this game, but he will be good to go. He’ll continue to fill out the backup center minutes behind Victor Wembanyama.