Getty Brandon Ingram #14 of the New Orleans Pelicans guards Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Chase Center.
The Golden State Warriors notched their second straight win without Andrew Wiggins as they head to his home country, Canada, to face the Toronto Raptors this Friday, March 1, at Scotiabank Arena.
There is still no timetable for Wiggins’ return as The Athletic’s Shams Charania revealed the reason behind his abrupt but excused absence from the team.
“I’m told Andrew Wiggins is dealing and tending to a serious family matter right now, and the Warriors are giving him his space, they’re giving him his time,” Charania reported on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV on March 1. “The expectation is, Steve Kerr spoke about this, Andrew Wiggins will be returning at some point of this season. They’re optimistic about that. But they also understand he’s going through this process. We certainly wish him, and his family, the best as he deals with it.”
After remaining with the Warriors past the trade deadline, Wiggins has regained his rhythm following his early-season struggles which forced Kerr to bench him.
In his last 8 games since the February 8 trade deadline, Wiggins averaged 14.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 51.7% from the field and 48.5% from the 3-point line solidifying his return to the starting lineup.
With Wiggins out, third-year wing Moses Moody seized the opportunity.
The 21-year-old Moody averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals since replacing Wiggins in the starting lineup over their last two wins.
Moody’s defense on All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson (27 points on 11 of 25 shooting) helped the Warriors grab their seventh straight road win on Thursday night, to end February with an 11-3 record.
Warriors Honoring Andrew Wiggins’ Request for Privacy
Kerr said the Warriors are honoring Wiggin’s wishes.
“We do expect him to be back but we just don’t exactly know when,” Kerr said on 95.7 The Game on Wednesday, February 28. “We’re in a position where [Wiggins] is a private person and he’s asked to keep it private and we’re gonna honor that. So it doesn’t help for me to sit here and try to explain any of that. The bottom line is we respect Wiggs, we need him and we fully expect him back, but we just don’t know when that will be.”
Wiggins also missed two months last season due to undisclosed personal reasons. He was the subject of trade rumors early in the season due to his struggles.
Wiggins also missed two months last season due to undisclosed personal reasons which Charania later revealed to be his father, Mitchell Wiggins, getting ill with a serious medical situation.
Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins plans to attend Warriors-Thunder on Tuesday. The reason for Wiggins’ leave of absence since mid-February is that his father, Mitchell Wiggins, has been dealing with a serious medical situation, sources close to the situation say. 🙏🏽
The Warriors have fielded trade offers for Wiggins leading up to the trade deadline, “but nothing has them jump,” according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater.
Steph Curry Breaks Snaps Shooting Slump
After going 8 for 37 from the deep over his last three games, Warriors superstar Stephen Curry finally got out of his shooting slump at Madison Square Garden, the birthplace of his legendary rise to stardom.
Curry made his first three 3-pointers en route to a game-high 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Warriors against the shorthanded Knicks.
“It’s always fun like this is a special place,” Curry told reporters after hitting 8 of 18 3-pointers against the Knicks. “There’s just a different energy every time you come to the city into the building. I think it really honestly helped us to that 20-4 start.”
They actually raced to a 14-0 lead and never looked back. After two quarters, Curry already had 17 points and 10 rebounds for just his second career double-double at halftime.