Andre Iguodala misses 3rd game of Warriors’ past 4
Golden State was without Andre Iguodala again Sunday vs. Utah, the 22nd
game he has missed this season
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA- DECEMBER 28: Golden State Warriors’ Andre
Iguodala #9 warms up before their NBA game against the Denver Nuggets at
the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA- DECEMBER 28: Golden State Warriors’ Andre
Iguodala #9 warms up before their NBA game against the Denver Nuggets at
the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021.
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: January 23, 2022 at 3:11 p.m. | UPDATED: January 24, 2022 at
3:27 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/01/23/andre-iguodala-misses-3rd-of-warriors-past-4-games/

SAN FRANCISCO — Just as one name falls off the Warriors’ injury report,
another one appears. On Sunday against the Utah Jazz, it was Andre
Iguodala’s turn.

Iguodala, 37, was ruled out (left hip injury management) for Golden
State’s fourth of seven straight games at home. With a day off after
back-to-back games, the Warriors were expected to get Otto Porter Jr.
and Klay Thompson together for the first time in three contests but
Thompson (knee soreness) was a late scratch.

The scheduled rest days are all part of the Warriors’ plan to peak
around the time they start their postseason push.

With his third day off in the past four games, Iguodala has been the
veteran whose load the Warriors are most closely managing. Including an
11-game stretch that he was forced to miss with swelling in his right
knee, Iguodala has sat out nearly as many games (22) as he has played (25).

The Warriors are also being careful with Porter, 28, who hasn’t played a
full season in four years, and Thompson, 31, who is still building back
to full strength after two years away with ACL and Achilles injuries.
Neither will play both legs of a back-to-back, but in order to keep one
of the sharpshooting wings available at all times, they will alternate
rest days, as they did this week with Thompson playing Thursday against
Indiana and Porter on Friday against Houston.

Thompson arrived at the arena Sunday expecting to play and went through
walk throughs in the morning before Dr. Rick Celebrini, the director of
performance, informed Kerr that Thompson shouldn’t play that night. He
felt a “tweak” in his left knee, which was surgically repaired in July
2019 after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

However, Kerr said the late scratch was “nothing too concerning” and
“just part of cautiousness.”

Iguodala and Thompson joined Draymond Green (lower back) and James
Wiseman (right knee rehab) on Golden State’s injury report for its game
against the Jazz, who had three starters and two key reserves’ status in
question.

Leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (concussion protocol) was ruled out;
reigning defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert (sore left ankle),
reserve center Hassan Whiteside and backup guard Trent Forrest (bruised
right hip) were listed as questionable; and starting shooting guard
Bojan Bogdanovic (left finger strain) was listed as probable.

The Warriors and Jazz are two of the top four teams in the Western
Conference, but they have yet to face off at full strength.

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Golden State was also missing Green, who was in COVID protocols, for
their first meeting: a 123-116 road win that featured 20-point
performances from Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Porter. The Warriors
were also missing Thompson for that first meeting, as well as Damion
Lee, who was back Sunday.

Whether Green is able to return for the third meeting of top Western
Conference foes could be a measuring stick for his progress in his
recovery from lower back problems that have already cost him the past
nine games. He is scheduled to be re-evaluated at the end of this home
stand, which wraps up Saturday against Brooklyn, and the Warriors head
to Utah for Round 3 just over a week after that.

--
Evan Webeck | Reporter
Evan Webeck covers high-school sports on the field and beyond — and a
little bit of everything else — for the Bay Area News Group. A Pacific
Northwest native and graduate of Arizona State, Evan has previously
worked for The Seattle Times, MLB.com and Sports Illustrated.