The Golden State Warriors were able to stave off NBA playoff elimination with a victory at the Chase Center in Game 5. They are now heading on the road for Game 6 at Crytpo.Com arena looking to pick up another win over the Los Angeles Lakers and force a decisive Game 7 on Sunday night back in the Bay Area. However, their path to victory looks to have gotten a little tougher.
The status of starting forward Andrew Wiggins is very much up in the air. Wiggins is dealing with a left costal cartilage fracture that the team believes was suffered during Game 5 on Wednesday night.
Following the game, Wiggins was reportedly in visible discomfort in the locker room. He didn’t believe there was anything serious, telling the team he would be okay. They sent him for an MRI where the injury was revealed.
Anthony Slater, who covers the Warriors for The Athletic, shared some clips from Game 5 of when the injury could have occurred. With just over five minutes remaining in the game, LeBron James looks to inadvertently clip Wiggins while going for a box out. Wiggins grabs his ribs after the contact and kept grabbing at the same spot a few times for the remainder of the game.
The team is hopeful that Wiggins will be able to get out there. He will see how things feel during pregame warmups before a final decision is made as he is currently listed as questionable.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The timing couldn’t be worse for Wiggins and the team. Not only are they facing elimination and could have to take the court without one of their most important players, but he was also coming off of an excellent performance on Wednesday night.
“This was the best game Wiggs has played since he’s been back over, I guess, three weeks or so now,” Dubs head coach Steve Kerr said after the game, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “Just the way he attacked, the way he got to the rim. That adds another dimension to our attack.
“I thought the last couple games in L.A., we just didn’t get to the line a ton. We settled for a lot of stuff. I thought Wiggs did a good job of really being aggressive.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Andrew Wiggins, Golden State Warriors & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
If Wiggins is unable to play, their entire game plan will be impacted. He is their best defender on the perimeter, drawing the James assignment throughout the series. Losing him would be a big blow to their chances of forcing a Game 7.
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