Golden State Warriors Star Questionable For Game 6

The Golden State Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers for a do-or-die Game 6 on Friday night, and one of their stars could be severely hobbled. The Warriors listed Andrew Wiggins as questionable for tomorrow's matchup with a left coastal ligament fracture on the NBA Injury Report.

Andrew Wiggins appeared to first show rib discomfort after this box out crack of LeBron James in the middle of the fourth quarter. Kept grabbing at his ribs the next few minutes. Costal cartilage fracture. His Game 6 status is in question.

Here is a look. pic.twitter.com/9CDwETFvrJ
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 12, 2023

Wiggins was in noticeable discomfort for much of the fourth quarter of the Warrior's Game 5 121-106 win. He played extensively despite the Warriors holding several sizeable leads, logging 35 minutes while compiling 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. For the series, he's averaging an essential 16.8 points per game, third behind Stephen Curry (25.6) and Klay Thompson (17.8).

Wiggins' injury wasn't severe enough for the Warriors to pull him prematurely in Game 5, so he's unlikely to go to the bench willingly for a must-win Game 6. The Warriors trail 3-2 in the series and it will be all hands on deck Friday as they attempt to force a Game 7 at the Chase Center. Unless the Warriors get some truly horrible news on Wiggins in the next 24 hours, he'll be on the court.

The question is whether the Warriors can win in Los Angeles with a diminished Wiggins. They stumbled to a brutal 11-30 record on the road in the regular season, and the Lakers have yet to surrender a home loss in the playoffs, outscoring teams by an average of 116.8 to 99.0. The Warriors managed to stave off elimination by winning twice on the road against the Sacramento Kings in the first round; they'll need similar luck tomorrow.

The Lakers host the Warriors on Friday night at 10 PM ET.