Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will not coach in Thursday's Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors as he mourns the death of his wife, Erin. In his stead, Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina will fill in for San Antonio in what will undoubtedly be an emotional Game 3 while the team tries to climb out of a 2-0 hole against Golden State.

Erin, who was married to Popovich over 40 years, passed away after a long battle with illness at age 67. The team announced her passing on Wednesday.

"We mourn the loss of Erin," Spurs' GM RC Buford said in a statement Wednesday. "She was a strong, wonderful, kind, intelligent woman who provided love, support and humor to all of us." 

Messina, a Spurs' assistant since 2014, is in the Italian Basketball Hall of Fame for his 17 seasons coaching there. He filled in for Popovich on March 7 and March 8 in the 2015-16 season, when Popovich had a family emergency.

Game 3 will be the first 2018 playoff game in San Antonio, and it's unknown if the team will have any kind of tribute. Popovich's status for the rest of the series is also uncertain, as the team looks for its first win of the postseason.

Game 3 tips off at 9:30 ET in the AT&T Center. The organization has also requested the family be given privacy in the wake of Erin's death.