Is Warriors' Andrew Wiggins playing vs. Mavericks? Latest NBA Cup injury update
11/12/2024 12:50 PM
The battle for the NBA Cup will begin with action across the league on Tuesday night. One of the teams who will begin their pool play games is the Golden State Warriors, who are off to a much faster start than many would’ve imagined. Stephen Curry and Co. currently reside at the top of the Western Conference standings, and they could utilize a huge win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night to further cement their status as one of the best teams in the league. However, Andrew Wiggins’ status for the start of the NBA Cup is in doubt.
Wiggins, who missed two games earlier this season due to a back injury, is once again on the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s NBA Cup matchup with Dallas. This game in San Francisco is not only important because it is both teams first tournament game, but it is also Klay Thompson’s first game back in front of Warriors fans since he departed in the offseason. On top of all of this, Wiggins’ status is unknown. The concern surrounding this injury has sparked the question: Is Andrew Wiggins playing against the Mavs?
Andrew Wiggins injury status vs. Mavericks
Only one player finds themselves on the Warriors’ injury report ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Mavericks, and that is Wiggins. Throughout the early portion of the season, Wiggins has been dealing with a lower back strain. This is the injury he finds himself on Tuesday’s injury report with, and he is questionable to play against Dallas as a result.
Since missing two games against the New Orleans Pelicans to conclude October, Wiggins has averaged 13.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 36.4 percent from the floor and only 25.0 percent from three-point range over his last five games. It is clear to see that Wiggins has been somewhat limited, which is why he finds himself back on the injury report with this back issue.
The Warriors could realistically look to give Wiggins some extra time off, regardless if this is a NBA Cup game or not, simply because of how valuable his presence and health are to this team moving forward. Without Wiggins, the Warriors probably wouldn’t have been able to go on their championship run and defeat the Boston Celtics in 2022. That is why head coach Steve Kerr and this entire organization are going to be cautious when it comes to Wiggins’ availability and minutes as he continues to battle through this back issue.
In the event that Wiggins is forced to miss Tuesday’s contest, Kyle Anderson, Moses Moody, and Jonathan Kuminga would be the primary beneficiaries in terms of seeing more minutes. Kuminga would likely start if Wiggins does not play against the Mavericks.
So, when it comes to the question of if Wiggins is going to be playing in Tuesday night’s game, the Warriors will provide further details on his official status during pregame warmups.
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