Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala wasn’t a big part of the team’s thrilling comeback win Sunday over the San Antonio Spurs. He played only about 10 minutes in the game and missed the entire second half of the contest after a left knee injury suffered in the second quarter.
According to Marcus Thompson II of the San Jose Mercury News, Iguodala could be held out of Game 2, even if an MRI reveals no structural damage to what the team is calling a “sore left knee.”
“The MRI will determine if he needs to miss any time. But even if it comes back clean, there is a strong chance Iguodala will be held out for rest and treatment just as a precaution.”
During the 10 minutes of time Iguodala logged in Game 1, Golden State was minus-19 against San Antonio — the worst number of any Warriors player on Sunday. That’s not necessarily indicative of Iguodala’s value to the Warriors, but it does highlight the team’s ability to play without him.
During the playoffs this year, Iguodala has averaged over 28 minutes per contest, averaging 7.6 points, five rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. So clearly he’s been a big part of what Golden State has been doing.
If he is held out of Game 2 Tuesday in Oakland, then we should expect to see a bit more of Matt Barnes, who played a few minutes over his postseason average on Sunday.