The Golden State Warriors took care of the lowly Washington Wizards on Tuesday despite playing without Andrew Wiggins. Don't expect a road win to come so easy for the shorthanded Dubs as their four-game road trip continues at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
Wiggins is listed as out for Thursday's matchup with the New York Knicks on the Warriors' latest injury report due to personal reasons. The 10th-year wing missed his team's win over Washington with the same designation.
Steve Kerr addressed Wiggins' ongoing absence during his weekly radio appearance on 95.7 The Game, admitting there's no timetable for his return.
“I just think that we're in a position where Wiggs is a private person, so he's asked to keep it private and we're gonna honor that,” he said. “It doesn't help for me to sit here and try to explain any of that. The bottom line is we respect Wiggs, we need him, we fully expect him back, but we just don't know what that will be.”
Wiggins missed the last two months of 2022-23 due to a family matter. Golden State supported him throughout his leave, never revealing the specific circumstances behind it before welcoming Wiggins back for the postseason.
Expect Moses Moody to start in Wiggins' place for the second straight game. He acquitted himself well against the Wizards, scoring 12 points—all from beyond the arc on 4-of-7 shooting—and swiping two steals in 22 minutes while making several hustle plays, impressing Kerr.
“I loved what Moses did. Didn't surprise me at all,” Kerr said. “He's such a pro. He's such a great young guy. Just so high character. To put him in the starting lineup and to have him come and play the way he did, it didn't surprise because that's kind of what he does. He reminds me a lot of [Kevon Looney]—he's very quiet but professional, does his work and always stays ready.”
Moody had been out of Golden State's regular rotation before starting Tuesday's game for Wiggins, who's shaken off career-worst struggles over the first couple months of 2023-24 to play a major role in the Warriors' midseason turnaround.
Wiggins is averaging 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and a steal over his last 18 games with an impressive true-shooting percentage of 62.3 while also serving as Golden State's de facto perimeter stopper. The Dubs sport a net rating of +7.3 with him on the court over that timeframe, nearly a point better than average.
Andrew Wiggins would have earned the defensive assignment of Knicks franchise point guard Jalen Brunson if he was available to play on Thursday. Without him, expect the Warriors' starting lineup to switch most screens involving Brunson before siccing defensive maven Gary Payton II on him when Kerr goes to his bench.
Golden State and New York tip off on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. (PT), the first leg of a road back-to-back that also pits the Warriors against the Toronto Raptors.
Follow Us
Subscribe