Golden State Warriors veteran swingman Andre Iguodala will miss Wednesday night’s Game 5 against the Denver Nuggets due to a neck injury and will be re-evaluated in one week.
The Warriors listed Iguodala’s ailment as a left cervical disc injury on their injury report.
Iguodala also missed Game 2 of the series against Denver due to a neck injury. He returned to play 16 minutes in Game 3 and 13 in Game 4.
The Warriors can clinch the Western Conference first-round series with a victory on Wednesday. They hold a 3-1 lead.
“The neck is bothering him again,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Wednesday’s shootaround. “He’s disappointed he can’t play.”
Iguodala is averaging 1.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in three games in the series. At this point in his career, the 38-year-old Iguodala makes an impact with his defense and basketball IQ.
“It’s a huge loss for us,” Kerr said. “He’s a guy who has been through everything and has seen it all in his career and has played in a million playoff games for us. He knows exactly what’s going on and we can use him in a variety of ways.
“We played him at small-ball five last game. He’s one of our best passers, he’s one of our best defenders, so it’s a big loss.”
Iguodala, an 18-year-veteran, is in his second stint with the Warriors and part of three Golden State championship teams. He spent six seasons with the club from 2013-19 and then played two seasons with the Miami Heat before returning this season.
Iguodala played his first eight NBA seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers (2004-12) — he was an All-Star for the 2011-12 campaign — and played the 2012-13 season with the Nuggets before joining the Warriors.
Iguodala has career averages of 11.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 1,223 games (784 starts). He has a 9.6 scoring average in 173 career playoff contests.
–Field Level Media