The Golden State Warriors might be without Andrew Wiggins for a critical Game 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
The Warriors officially listed Wiggins as questionable for the game Thursday in the Western Conference semifinals due to a left costal cartilage fracture.
It’s unclear how Wiggins landed on the injury report. He finished with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 36 minutes in Wednesday’s 121-106 win at the Chase Center, which was his best output this series. He has averaged 16.8 points and 6 rebounds against the Lakers in the playoffs.
“This was the best game Wiggs has played since he’s been back over the three weeks or so now,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after Game 5. “Just the way he attacked, the way he got to the rim, that just adds another dimension to our attack. I thought the last couple games in L.A., we didn’t get to the line a ton. We settled for a lot of stuff, and I thought Wiggs did a good job of really being aggressive.”
While a rib fracture sounds difficult to play through, it has been done before. Warriors forward Kevon Looney had the same fracture in the 2019 NBA Finals after taking a huge hit from Kawhi Leonard.
The Warriors currently trail the Lakers 3-2 in the series headed into Game 6 in Los Angeles. With the Warriors’ season on the line, it’s hard to imagine Wiggins not at least attempting to play Friday.
