With their season on the line, the Spurs hoped to enter Game 5 at full strength. Instead, they received a concerning injury report update involving veteran backup center Luke Kornet less than 24 hours before their elimination game against the Knicks.
While Kornet played only limited minutes in Game 4, his availability suddenly becomes a significant storyline as San Antonio searches for answers against a Knicks team now one victory away from an NBA championship. Kornet is listed on the official injury report with an unspecified illness.
Kornet is the only player on San Antonio’s injury report for Game 5, according to ESPN‘s Tim MacMahon. The veteran backup logged just four minutes in Game 4, and his illness designation adds uncertainty to a team already thin up front. Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News noted Kornet’s sharply limited Game 4 usage in confirming the “questionable” designation. Game 5 tips off Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with New York leading the series 3-1.
Kornet’s Role and What Spurs Lose Without Him
Why Kornet was limited to only four minutes in Game 4 remains unclear, but with Victor Wembanyama clearly tiring in the second half, playing Kornet more may have helped keep Wembanyama fresh â and prevented the Spurs’ historic 29-point collapse. Wembanyama later acknowledged that fatigue was “a factor” for him in the late stages of the game.
Along with Harrison Barnes, Kornet is one of only two players on the mostly inexperienced Spurs roster with an NBA championship on his resume.
Kornet, a nine-year veteran who won his NBA ring with the Boston Celtics in 2024, signed a four-year, $40 million contract with San Antonio to anchor the backup center position behind Victor Wembanyama, protecting the rim, collecting rebounds and managing Wembanyama’s minute load across a grueling season and playoff run. Kornet averaged 6.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game in roughly 21 minutes per night during the regular season, according to Air Alamo.
His Finals appearances have come with some drama. In Game 3, Knicks guard Josh Hart shoved Kornet after an inadvertent collision near the basket, earning Hart a technical foul, according to BasketNews. In Game 1, Kornet was on the floor when Jalen Brunson exited with an ankle injury following a separate contact play, according to Yahoo Sports. He continued playing in both instances without missing time.
The Western Conference Finals offered the clearest picture of what Kornet can provide. His chase-down block on Isaiah Hartenstein in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder helped close out the series while keeping Wembanyama out of foul trouble, Air Alamo reported.
Spurs Face Frontcourt Depth Questions in Game 5 vs. Knicks
If Kornet sits, Wembanyama’s load can only become more burdensome. The Spurs star logged 44 minutes in Game 4, a workload that drew criticism from analysts who argued San Antonio has been slow to deploy its available depth. That burden grows further in an elimination game that would hand the title to the Knicks on the Spurs’ home court should San Antonio lose.
Forward Carter Bryant has handled some center minutes in stretches without Wembanyama, but he lacks Kornet’s size and playoff-tested experience. Barnes and Keldon Johnson can slide toward the power forward role, but exchanging interior bulk for perimeter length is a difficult formula against Karl-Anthony Towns and elite rebounder Mitchell Robinson.
Opponents shot poorly at the basket with both Kornet and Wembanyama sharing the floor, according to the NBA’s official Finals numbers. That combination disappears if Saturday’s warmup report confirms Kornet is unavailable before the 8:30 p.m. ET tip at Frost Bank Center.
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