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De'Aaron Fox Had No Good Answer for His Brutal Shooting Woes in Spurs' NBA Finals Game 5 Loss

By Kristen Wong Sports Illustrated

The Spurs saw their season end in bitter fashion on Saturday night after the Knicks clawed their way back (again) to win Game 5 and clinch their first franchise NBA title since 1973. While Jalen Brunson & Co. made some all-time great history in the 94–90 win in San Antonio, the Spurs' young roster was left staring down yet another disappointing result and wondering how they got punched in the gut four times this series.

One member of San Antonio's talented team, veteran guard De'Aaron Fox, had a performance to forget-just two days after he drew widespread criticism for his failed layup late in Game 4.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson told reporters that he still planned to rely on Fox in clutch minutes despite his questionable Game 4 blunder, a strategy that did not end up paying off and may have hurt the team down the stretch in Game 5. Fox finished with just seven points on 3-of-15 shooting and went cold from beyond the arc (1 of 8) in Game 5's loss. The ex-Kings star also missed all four of his shots in the fourth quarter and failed to register any assists or rebounds, either.

As the Comeback Knicks clawed their way back from a 16-point deficit, Fox's shot selection came under heavy scrutiny, as the guard launched a few arguably ill-advised three-pointers that ended up turning the momentum over to New York.

Following his brutal outing, Fox had no good answer for his shooting woes in Game 5's elimination:

"I got shots that I've made in the past, and sometimes you just don't make them. Some felt good, back rim in and out, it is what it is. Obviously wish I made those shots, but the [Knicks are] physical, they force you into taking jump shots, trying to keep you out of the paint. Shots just didn't go down for me," he said.

Spurs' De'Aaron Fox faces criticism over another bad game in Game 5 defeat to Knicks

Inside the NBA's Charles Barkley laid into Fox again during Game 5 when Fox was struggling to contribute offensively in the first two quarters.

"I hate to say this: [Mitch Johnson] gotta go with [Stephon] Castle and Harper. He got to take Fox out of the game," Barkley said at halftime. "If you're Coach Johnson, you can't be worrying about people's feelings out here."

Even Packers star Micah Parsons weighed in on the Spurs' roster decisions and made clear that rookie Dylan Harper deserved more minutes. Parsons tweeted after the game, "Sometimes you gotta make hard decision as a coach! Them not handing Harper the keys for this playoff just just cost them a championship!"

Compared to Fox's dud of an outing, Harper impressed yet again with a team-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting along with five rebounds and four assists. Despite coming off the bench, Harper racked up five 20-point playoff games during his debut postseason and set a handful of rookie records, including the most points in a single playoff run.

Fox was asked about the Spurs' next generation of stars in Harper and Castle, and he gave them their deserved flowers:

"Those guys, the sky's the limit," Fox said. "These are guys that are All-NBA guys, they're going to be All-Stars, they're going to be All-Defensive guys I think both of them. ... They're obviously a large reason of why we were so good this year."

The Spurs are going to have some tough questions to answer this offseason with Fox's four-year, $229 million maximum contract extension kicking in ahead of the 2026–27 campaign. It's probably too early to sour on Fox's future in San Antonio, as it's wholly possible he simply went cold during an unfortunate span and will learn from his mistakes over time. These NBA Finals may nonetheless serve as a jarring wake-up call for the veteran guard, whose starting position is no longer as safe as it once was.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as De'Aaron Fox Had No Good Answer for His Brutal Shooting Woes in Spurs' NBA Finals Game 5 Loss.

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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 2:07 AM.

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