Spurs starting – San Antonio’s starting lineup for Game 6 against Oklahoma City is set with De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama among the starters, even as both De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper were previously listed on the injury report. Fox and Harper will play, but Harper is st
Oklahoma City will get its must-win moment on Thursday night with the San Antonio Spurs finally putting their expected core pieces into the starting lineup. The shift is clear in the pregame post: De’Aaron Fox. Stephon Castle. Julian Champagnie. Devin Vassell. and Victor Wembanyama were named as starters by head coach Mitch Johnson and his staff for Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
Fox and Harper had both been listed on the injury report earlier in the series. but for Game 6 the Spurs are calling them good to go. Fox and Harper are not listed with a designation on the official injury report. and the Spurs’ momentum—if they have any chance to keep their season alive—now runs through the matchup they’re banking on: Fox leading the way. Wembanyama carrying the defensive and offensive weight. and a Thunder team looking to close things out.
This lineup is also familiar. The starters named for Game 6 are the same five San Antonio has used for the majority of the regular season and playoffs when they’ve been fully healthy. In the postseason so far, this group has gone 8-5.
Dylan Harper, meanwhile, is back in his usual role. He will come off the bench again after starting Games 1 and 2 and leaving Game 2 with an adductor injury. Harper was a game-time decision for Game 3, but he hasn’t missed any time since. Before Game 6, the rookie said his progress is steady, even if it isn’t finished.
“Feel good, better yesterday, getting better,” Harper said. “Just trying to progress, get better every day, and just try to get wins.”
San Antonio’s bench group will be counted on to support that plan. Along with Harper, the Spurs will need big games from Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, Luke Kornet, and the other backups coach Johnson chooses to play.
The uncomfortable detail is that Harper isn’t described as fully healthy. Johnson addressed it directly, saying the Thunder’s defense has slowed Harper down in recent games—but not completely.
“For the most part, I give a lot of acknowledgement to what OKC is doing, and Dylan’s had some really good moments as well,” Johnson said. “When he can be aggressive, it’s very impactful.”
Fox’s situation carries its own version of the same story: not listed with a designation now, but still visibly affected. All indications point to Fox continuing to deal with an ankle injury picked up in the conference semifinals. His stats reflect it.
On the Hoop Collective Podcast, Brian Windhorst said it is clear Fox’s injury is changing how he’s playing.
“Look, I know De’Aaron Fox is playing on a high ankle sprain that normally, in the regular season, he’s probably sitting (with),” Windhorst said. “He goes four of 15 (in Game 5).”
The Spurs’ pressure is obvious: they need Game 6 to keep their season alive. And they’re also facing the kind of momentum swing that shows up in the last two nights of a series. Wembanyama left a bit on the table in Game 5. and after the team’s latest loss the French superstar declined to speak to the media. The lack of participation triggered a warning from the NBA for not taking part in a postgame press conference.
One road forward for San Antonio is clear—Wembanyama needs to be at full volume, and Harper needs to find ways to attack even if OKC is tightening the screws. Another is less comfortable: Fox and Harper both appear to be playing through something, even if the injury report says otherwise.
For Oklahoma City, the injury picture is mixed. The Thunder will be without Ajay Mitchell for Game 6. Jalen Williams, however, was upgraded to available shortly before tipoff, giving the Thunder at least one key lift as they chase the series finish.
With the Spurs listing neither Fox nor Harper with a designation and with a full roster available for Game 6. San Antonio is set up to respond. The only question now is whether the Spurs’ “good to go” extends beyond the paperwork—when the game tightens. and the injuries. even reduced. still leave fingerprints on how players move.
San Antonio Spurs Oklahoma City Thunder Game 6 Western Conference Finals De’Aaron Fox Dylan Harper Victor Wembanyama Stephon Castle Devin Vassell Julian Champagnie Mitch Johnson Ajay Mitchell Jalen Williams injury report