Veteran Warriors forward Andre Iguodala showed up as a late scratch on the injury report before Sunday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. About two and a half hours before the 5 p.m. PT tip-off at Chase Center, Iguodala was listed as out with right knee inflammation.
“His knee swelled up on him yesterday afternoon and so yeah, he'll be out tonight and day-to-day,” Kerr said.
Iguodala played 12 minutes in Game 1 as he appeared in his sixth Finals with the Warriors since 2015 and seventh of his career. The 38-year-old’s body continues to hold him back this season, as he had missed the previous 11 contests with a neck injury.
Iguodala appeared in just 31 games this season while dealing with knee hip and back issues. Though he's not much of a scoring threat these days, his defense, passing and Finals experience are valued heavily within the Warriors locker room.
Heading into the Finals, Iguodala told NBA.com’s Mark Medina he has his mind made up about retirement or not, but that he wasn’t ready to share his decision. At this rate, Iguodala’s body might make the decision for him.
This marks the second postseason in Iguodala's career where he's had to deal with injuries. In 2018, he missed the final four games of the Western Conference Finals and the first two games of the Finals in 2018 due to a leg fracture, which was initially diagnosed a bone bruise.
While Iguodala’s steady hand on the court will be missed, the Warriors are expected to get a huge boost from guard Gary Payton II. Payton was medically cleared to play in Game 1 but Kerr didn’t feel fully comfortable using him outside of a “late-game stop” situation – one which never materialized as the Warriors collapsed in the fourth-quarter and the Celtics won by a comfortable 12-point margin.
“It's literally been a day-to-day thing,” Kerr said of Payton. “He's made some improvement the last couple of days and I anticipate getting him out there tonight.”
Payton has missed the past 10 contests since fracturing his left elbow while crashing to the floor after a Flagrant 2 foul from Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks on May 3. The fan favorite and defensive ace is sure to get a rousing ovation from Dub Nation when he comes off the bench Sunday night.
