On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors will face the OKC Thunder in a crucial game that will affect the playoffs. However, the Warriors will have to play without playmaker Klay Thompson, who was added to the injury report due to lower back pain.
Thompson’s absence adds to the injury report, with starting forward Andrew Wiggins and reserve forward Andre Iguodala also listed. That leaves Golden State with a depleted wing line-up for the game.
To compensate, Anthony Lamb and Jordan Poole will start alongside Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga. As the Warriors look to secure a top six finish and avoid the play-in tournament, Thompson’s absence is a significant setback with just three games left in the regular season.
Klay Thompson will have two days to recover before the Warriors face the Sacramento Kings in their next game.
After the game against the Thunder, the Warriors will have two days off before facing the Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Friday, giving Thompson time to recover. However, if he can’t play on Friday, the team’s last game of the season will be away to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
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The Warriors (41-38) are currently sixth in the Western Conference, just half a game ahead of the seventh-placed LA Lakers (40-38). Therefore, every game is crucial for the Warriors to avoid the play-in tournament. They have won two of their three games against OKC this season. On the other hand, the Thunder (38-41) are tenth in the West.
Klay Thompson has missed 12 games this season, and the Warriors have struggled without him, going 5-7. The team was 36-31 with Thompson in the line-up. He played in 67 games this season and averaged 21.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.7 steals and 4.3 three-pointers per game on 43.3% shooting. Since being cleared to play in February, Thompson has played 27 consecutive games.