OAKLAND -- After five games together in the starting lineup for the Warriors, the Hamptons 5 are in jeopardy of temporarily breaking up.
It's likely that forward Andre Iguodala, experiencing soreness in his left knee after a collision in Game 3 on Sunday, will miss Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday night against the Rockets.
Iguodala was held out of practice Monday and is listed as doubtful on the Warriors injury report. An X-ray is anticipated, according to a team spokesman.
Iguodala entered the starting lineup in Game 4 of the conference semifinals at New Orleans, joining Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green in the debut of the Hamptons 5 as a starting unit. All five also started Game 5 against the Pelicans and the first three games against Houston.
If Iguodala is unable to play, it will have a dramatic effect not only on the starting lineup but also on the playing rotations utilized by Warriors coach Steve Kerr. Among the options to start are center/forward Kevon Looney, guard/forward Nick Young. Rookie center/forward Jordan Bell also could be considered.
None of the possible replacements brings the same package of intuition, athleticism and intangibles as Iguodala, who over the last five games averaged 27.2 minutes.
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"When we focus in and are flying around and playing extremely hard and anticipating really well, seeing things before they happen, we're a really good team," Durant said after practice. "And Andre is a guy that does that night in and night out for us. We feed off his energy. We feed off his athletic plays, his team plays, whether it's getting a steal, getting a deflection, getting a hockey assist, that stuff makes us feel good."
The injury occurred in the fourth quarter of Game 3. Iguodala was defending Rockets star James Harden, and the two banged knees as Harden was driving into the paint. Iguodala immediately began clutching his knee. He remained in the game for nearly a full minute, was replaced by Looney with 6:49 left and did not return.
Game | Result/Schedule |
---|---|
Game 1 | Warriors 119, Rockets 106 |
Game 2 | Rockets 127, Warriors 105 |
Game 3 | Warriors 126, Rockets 85 |
Game 4 | Oakland -- Tuesday, May 22nd at 6pm |
Game 5 | Houston -- Thursday, May 24th at 6pm |
Game 6 | Oakland -- Saturday, May 26th at 6pm |
Game 7 | Houston -- Monday, May 28th at 6pm |