At this point in the season, the Golden State Warriors are needing to win every time they take the court. Although the Warriors have averaged the third-most points per game this season in the Western Conference, they have surrendered the third-most points per game to their opponents. This has resulted in their lackluster 22-25 record right before the NBA trade deadline. On Wednesday night, the Warriors will have a chance to claim their fourth victory in the last five games when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers. However, it is unclear if Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins will be available for this battle.
Wiggins is currently dealing with a left ankle contusion and missed Golden State’s previous game against the Brooklyn Nets. As for Green, he has a right knee contusion that he’s been dealing with throughout the team’s road trip. Whereas Wiggins is listed as probable to play on Wednesday night in Philadelphia, Green’s status seems to be more up in the air given his questionable tag on the injury report.
In eight games since returning from his suspension, Draymond has been extremely efficient on both sides of the court. Green has averaged 8.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game during this span.
For Wiggins, he was forced to leave this past Saturday’s game on the road against the Atlanta Hawks early due to his left ankle injury. In a total of 19 minutes against the Hawks, Wiggins recorded just two points and four rebounds. The Warriors went on to lose this game 141-134 in overtime despite a 60-point night from Stephen Curry.
On the season, Wiggins has really struggled to find his footing. In 42 games, the former All-Star has averaged 12.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting just 31.1 percent from deep. This has led to Wiggins being involved in rumors leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline.
At this time, it does appear as if the Warriors will hold off on dealing Wiggins or any of their core players. Then again, there is truly never any confirmation regarding what will happen at the trade deadline until it passes. Given their position in the Western Conference, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone if the Warriors do make some sort of change.
As for Wednesday night in Philadelphia, the Warriors will be given an edge, regardless of if Green and Wiggins play, due to the fact that reigning league MVP Joel Embiid is out after undergoing meniscus surgery on Tuesday. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey may also be forced to miss this matchup for the 76ers after being downgraded to questionable with an illness.
Should the Warriors be without Wiggins or Green against the Sixers, Brandin Podziemski and Jonathan Kuminga figure to be the two players that will see their workload increase. Golden State will provide further updates on the status of their two starters later in the day.
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