Getty Warriors guard Stephen Curry gestures from the bench with #0 Gary Payton II.
In addition to Chris Paul and Gary Payton II, the Golden State Warriors will also be missing recent All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Wiggins has right finger soreness, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. Interestingly, the injury report came just a few hours before Thursday’s game against the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back schedule.
Wiggins and Paul are two of the four Warriors players who are affected by the NBA’s Player Participation Policy, a new rule that is geared toward curbing stars’ load management. Under the PPP, no more than one star player should be unavailable for the same game, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Any player named All-NBA or to the All-Star Game in the previous three seasons is considered a star player.
Both Paul and Wiggins were All-Stars in 2022.
So, Wiggins’ injury has to be real coming off a 29-point performance in their 124-123 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, November 29.
Paul is listed day-to-day, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, with a lower leg contusion. On the other hand, Payton II is out indefinitely with a torn right calf, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Wiggins’ timetable for return is unknown as of posting time.
The Warriors (8-10) are in a precarious situation, having lost eight of their last 10 games. Not even Draymond Green’s return after a five-game suspension could stop their slide.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has to dig deep on his bench against a Clippers team that is starting to find its rhythm following their early struggles with James Harden. The Clippers have won five of their last seven games to dislodge the Warriors from the tenth spot in the Western Conference with an 8-9 record.
Andrew Wiggins’ Lack of Physical Conditioning Annoyed Warriors
Before Wiggins dropped 29 points, his second-highest scoring performance this season, an ESPN report surfaced explaining his early-season struggles.
“As for Wiggins, sources told ESPN that after missing two months last season over a still undisclosed personal matter, he didn’t take the time necessary during the summer to get back into shape ahead of this season. His lack of physical conditioning annoyed some within the organization, a team source added,” ESPN’s Kendra Andrews wrote.
Wiggins has only shot 50% or higher in just four of the Warriors’ first 16 games. Just as when he finally hit his strides, the injury bug is threatening to derail him again.
Draymond Green Earns Costly Technical Foul in His Return
An unrepentant Green returned to the Warriors starting lineup against the Kings. It was just a matter of time before he had another run-in with game officials.
His technical foul with 9:39 left sparked the Kings’ comeback from a 24-point first-half deficit with a 124-123 escape act on Wednesday, November 29, on Malik Monk’s game-winner.
“It was the momentum that we needed,” Monk told reporters, referring to Green’s technical foul. “(Coach) Mike (Brown) was telling us all game that something was going to happen. Make the refs make a call. We just stuck with the game plan.”