Will Warriors All-Star Andrew Wiggins play against Kings in potential playoff preview?
The Kings might have to contend with Golden State Warriors All-Star Andrew Wiggins in the playoffs, but they won’t see him on the floor Friday night.
Wiggins will not play when the Kings face the Warriors on Friday at Golden 1 Center in a potential first-round playoff preview. The Warriors have ruled Wiggins out due to return to competition reconditioning.
Wiggins has missed 23 games since he last suited up on Feb. 13. He rejoined the team earlier this week after taking nearly two months off due to personal reasons, reportedly because his father was dealing with a serious medical situation, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Kings (48-32) are third in the Western Conference with two games remaining in the regular season. The Warriors (42-38) are sixth. If they hold their current positions in the standings, the Kings and Warriors will meet in the first round of the playoffs.
That series would be rich with intrigue and subplots if first-year Kings coach Mike Brown leads his team against the Warriors, with whom he spent the past six seasons as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant. The Kings and Warriors never met in the playoffs. In fact, they have never appeared in the playoffs at the same time.
The defending NBA champion Warriors would be a formidable first-round opponent, especially given the return of Wiggins, who is regarded as perhaps the team’s best two-way player. The 6-foot-7 forward was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2015 and made his first All-Star appearance in 2022.
Wiggins has appeared in just 37 games this season, averaging 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 47.3% from the field and 39.6% from 3-point range.
