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May 25, 2026 4:01 AM
De'Aaron Fox said Gregg Popovich entered the Spurs' locker room after their 123-108 Game 3 loss to the Thunder and told the team, "That's not how we play basketball."
De'Aaron Fox said Gregg Popovich walked into the San Antonio Spurs' locker room after their 123-108 Game 3 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night and told the team it was not playing championship basketball.
"That was the first time he walked into the locker room and was like, 'Nah, that's BS. That's not how we play basketball," Fox told NBC. "Obviously, he had some choice words for us."
Popovich, who coached the Spurs for 29 seasons and won five NBA titles before stepping away from the bench during the 2024-25 season, now serves as the franchise's president of basketball operations. Mitch Johnson has run the team as head coach since Popovich's transition to the front office.
Oklahoma City now leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Sunday in San Antonio.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points and 12 assists, repeatedly beating San Antonio's double-team to find open shooters. Wembanyama finished with 21 points and 17 rebounds. He added six assists and four blocks.
Fox returned to the lineup for Game 3 after missing the first two games of the series with a right high-ankle sprain originally suffered against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals. He had 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, seven rebounds and six assists in 31 minutes.
Late in the third quarter, Thunder wing Lu Dort dove for a loose ball and crashed into Fox's right leg, re-aggravating the ankle. Fox limped to the bench. He briefly went back to the locker room before checking in again with 10:27 left in the fourth.
This was Fox's first full season in San Antonio after the Spurs acquired him from Sacramento in February 2025. The 28-year-old put up 18.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 72 regular-season games, shooting 48.6% overall and 33.2% from 3 in 31.0 minutes a night.
His playoff numbers have dipped slightly behind the ankle issues. Through 13 postseason games, Fox is at 18.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists on 45.9% shooting from the floor and 33.3% from deep.
Rookie Dylan Harper, who started the first two games of the series in Fox's place before going down with a right adductor injury in Game 2, was cleared to play in Game 3.
The Spurs won Game 1 in double overtime on the road. Oklahoma City answered with a 122-113 win in Game 2. Tipoff for Game 4 is set for Sunday night at the Frost Bank Center.
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