The San Antonio Spurs will have assistant Ettore Messina take over the helm for Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors, as head coach Gregg Popovich mourns the loss of his wife, Erin, who died yesterday, according to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.

Messina is the highest-ranking and most experienced coach after Popovich, with ample experience overseas and extensive familiarity with the Spurs' system.

The Spurs will try to claw back from an 0-2 deficit after suffering two double-digit losses on the road against the Warriors, hoping to build from the intensity they had in Game 2 and channel the same effort with better results, hoping to avoid an 0-3 hole in this first-round series.

Popovich's wife had been dealing with an illness for an extended period, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The couple had been married for 40 years before her passing on Wednesday.