After a tight race in the stretch run to the postseason, the stage is finally set between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings for a Northern California rivalry series in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs.
Following the regular season finale on Sunday, the Warriors will get five days to prepare for the start of the series against the Kings on Saturday evening at Golden 1 Center. While the Warriors prep to meet the Kings, all eyes will be on Andrew Wiggins.
After missing time since mid-February due to a personal matter, Wiggins made his long-awaited return to the Bay Area before the end of the regular season. Despite returning to the bench to watch his teammates, Wiggins has yet to suit up for a game. The former All-Star guard’s highly-anticipated return to the court could come at the start of the postseason.
In an interview with San Francisco’s 95.7 The Game, Kendra Andrews of ESPN reported the Warriors are expecting Wiggins back for Game 1 against the Kings on Saturday.
Via @957thegame on Twitter:
ICYMI: @kendra__andrews on Andrew Wiggins return pic.twitter.com/b2YqCKdie7
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 11, 2023
In his last game with the team before his absence, Wiggins notched 29 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the floor with seven rebounds and four dimes in a Warriors’ win over the Washington Wizards.
During the 2022-23 season, Wiggins averaged 17.1 points on 47.3% shooting from the field and 39.6% from beyond the arc to go along with five rebounds and 2.3 assists in 32.2 minutes per contest over 37 games.
Last year in the postseason, Wiggins was a key piece in Golden State’s run to a title, averaging 16.5 points on 46.9% shooting from the floor with 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists a steal and a block in 34.9 minutes per playoff game.
The Kings and Warriors are set to tip off on Saturday evening in primetime for Game 1 at 5:30 p.m. PT in Sacramento.
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