Andre Iguodala appeared to hobble off the court in the final two minutes of the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of The Finals.
However, concerns that he would miss Game 2 of the series were dashed after he had an MRI on his left leg that came back clean. Per the Warriors, Iguodala is expected to suit up for Game 2 on Sunday (8 ET, ABC).
Warriors say Andre Iguodala’s MRI came out clean. He’s expected to be available for Game 2
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 31, 2019
After Game 1, Iguodala himself did not sound particularly worried about his injury.
“I’ll be all right. Just bumps and bruises of the game,” Iguodala told reporters, per The Mercury News. “You can paint it as an excuse, but you have to keep going.”
Kerr said Friday that he spoke with Iguodala, who had an MRI on his left leg, and neither he nor his veteran forward were fretting the injury.
Kerr said Andre Iguodala had an MRI on his left leg this morning. He hasn’t gotten the results back yet but he believes Iguodala will be fine and ready for Game 2.
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) May 31, 2019
Iguodala did not appear fine when the play happened. After making a floating hook shot to trim Toronto’s lead to 111-103 with 1 minute, 55 seconds left, Iguodala came down on his right leg. As he ran up court, he appeared to wince and limped toward the other end of the court. Warriors forward Draymond Green fouled the Raptors’ Fred VanVleet with 1:19 left, leading to Kerr subbing out Iguodala for Alfonzo McKinnie.
In the Warriors’ Game 3 win against the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference finals, Iguodala said he felt tightness in his left calf. He sat with 7:50 left in the third quarter of that game and missed all of the Warriors’ series-clinching win in Game 4. Iguodala, like the rest of the Warriors, had nine days to rest up and heal before the start of The Finals.
Mark Medina of The Mercury News reports Iguodala is likely to receive treatment for his injury during the team’s off day on Friday and should practice Saturday. In Game 1 of The Finals, Iguodala started and finished with six points on 3-for-7 shooting as well as six rebounds, seven assists, two turnovers and a blocked shot.
Golden State is already thin in the frontcourt as star forward Kevin Durant missed Game 1 and, per Kerr, was a “long shot” to play in Sunday’s Game 2 (8 ET, ABC). Center DeMarcus Cousins returned to the Warriors’ lineup in Game 1, marking his first playoff action since suffering a torn left quadriceps muscle on April 15. Cousins finished with three points in eight minutes.
