The Golden State Warriors were unable to figure out a way to defeat the Houston Rockets with a shortened rotation in Game 4, as the team was without the services of veteran forward Andre Iguodala. If the Warriors are to win Game 5 in Houston, they’ll have to find a way to do that under the same circumstances.
Steve Kerr announced before the game that Igoudala will miss his second Western Conference Finals game in a row due to a left lateral leg contusion.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr says Andre Iguodala will not play tonight in Game 5 or the WCF at Houston.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 24, 2018
It’s a tough break for a Warriors squad that has appeared to struggle with depth, especially because Kerr said the inability to play is something that is having a negative impact on Iguodala.
Kerr said Iguodala is "dying to play, but he’s not healthy enough, so he won’t play."
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 24, 2018
Kerr also said he might have some funky rotations up his sleeve in Iguodala’s absence, although he declined to specifically say what he has in mind.
Steve Kerr declined to give specifics, but sounds like there could be some different guys/sub patterns tonight: "We've talked about a lot of different possibilities."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 24, 2018
In Game 4, Golden State tried to offset the injury by going with a bigger starting lineup, replacing Iguodala with third-year big man Kevon Looney. If there is a small amount of good news, it’s that the Warriors won’t be without a second member of their revered death lineup, as Klay Thompson is healthy despite concerns that he could miss the game due to a left knee strain.
