Spurs Backcourt Limps Into Friday as Fox and Johnson Hit the Injury Report

The 4 p.m. injury report just dropped, and the San Antonio Spurs are suddenly looking like a triage unit ahead of their Friday night matchup with the Houston Rockets.

De'Aaron Fox is questionable with a wrist issue, and Keldon Johnson is joining him with a mouth laceration. Yes, a mouth laceration. We are officially at the point in the NBA season where guys are hitting the injury report for taking a stray elbow to the teeth.

"Underdog NBA reported the 4 ET injury updates, highlighting Fox, Johnson, and Nesmith as questionable."

Fox apparently picked up the wrist injury after a solid 14-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist shift in 32 minutes. If he sits, the Spurs lose a guy who averaged nearly three threes and two steals a game last year. That is a massive swing for anyone looking at San Antonio's backcourt rotation or trying to figure out the spread against Houston.

Over in the Eastern Conference, Aaron Nesmith is still questionable for the Indiana Pacers with a left hamstring strain. He already missed Wednesday's season opener, which is a brutal start for a guy trying to build on a season where he shot 43 percent from deep. Hamstrings are the check engine light of the NBA, so nobody should be shocked if Indiana plays this safe.

Meanwhile, Brandin Podziemski is probable for the Golden State Warriors with a back issue as they get ready for the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis has their own problems, with Cedric Coward listed as doubtful.

Tracking these late-afternoon updates is basically a second full-time job for fantasy managers. You build a perfect lineup at lunch, and by dinner, half your roster is questionable because someone slept on their neck wrong or bit their own lip.

Keep an eye on the final warmups before tip-off. If Fox and Johnson both get ruled out, the Spurs are going to have to dig deep into the bench, and the Rockets might just get a free pass on defense.