Andrew Wiggins is likely to play in Game 6 for the Golden State Warriors versus the Los Angeles Lakers, however, he will do so far from healthy.
On Thursday, Golden State Warriors fans were hit with some worrying news when Andrew Wiggins unexpectedly popped up on the team’s injury report with what was described as a left costal cartilage fracture.
The injury to the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum is one that can take weeks to heal. Meaning Golden State Warriors fans were worried their star defender could also miss a potential Game 7 if the team were able to beat the Lakers on Friday night without him.
Well, despite what seems to be a pretty serious injury, it looks like Andrew Wiggins won’t miss the next game in the series and plans to give it a go in the do-or-die matchup tonight.
Andrew Wiggins stats (2023 playoffs): 17.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 31% 3PT
On Friday afternoon, ESPN reported from multiple sources that Wiggins will go through warmups before Game 6 with the intention of playing. If his ribs are problematic then he would likely sit, but if he can manage the pain he should be in the lineup for the game inside the Chase Center.
Even if Andrew Wiggins does play, shooting is expected to be challenging for him. However, he is not necessarily there to be one of the team’s primary scorers. His main assignment in the series has been to limit Lakers star Lebron James, and he has been very good in that job thus far.
Over the first five games, Wiggins has been key in James shooting 17-39 from the field and 4-18 from three. He also has eight turnovers during the semifinal best-of-seven.
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers takes place at 10 PM ET on ESPN tonight.