Why is Andrew Wiggins not playing vs Pelicans? Closer look at Warriors forward's absence (Oct. 29)

The Golden State Warriors will take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday without forward Andrew Wiggins in the lineup.

After playing the first three games of the 2024-25 NBA season for the Warriors, Wiggins will miss his first game tonight. This came following a 112-104 loss against the LA Clippers on Monday.

The Warriors have announced that the Canadian forward will not play tonight due to a strained lower back. Wiggins was listed as day-to-day before the scheduled second game of a three-game home stand for Golden State.

The Warriors have also listed two players in their lineup to miss tonight's game against the Pelicans. De'Anthony Melton is dealing with a back injury. Steph Curry is also listed as out due to an ankle ailment. Both guards are expected to return to the lineup on Nov. 2.

Curry suffered a left peroneal strain, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. According to him, the All-Star point guard will be re-evaluated later this week.

"He's going to be re-evaluated on Friday," Charania said. "But around him, the sense is this could be an injury that goes about a week. That would put him at early next week ... Maybe up to two weeks, that's the sense around the injury itself. But the Warriors and Stephen Curry, they're just taking this day-by-day. They want to see how he feels, how he's managing that swelling."

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How well has Andrew Wiggins played this season?

Andrew Wiggins has been an aggressive offensive player in the Warriors' opening three games. In the team's season opener against the Portland Trail Blazers, the forward finished with 20 points, four rebounds and two assists. The starting forward shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

He followed it up with a 10-point outing against the Utah Jazz. Despite not having a good scoring night, he did fairly well in other categories. Wiggins grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out five assists.

The Warriors forward came out strong for his third appearance for the season. The team played against the Clippers and Wiggins finished with 29 points and three rebounds. The forward stepped up his game and shot 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.

In the three-game span, Golden State's starter has averaged 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Compared to last season, Wiggins had a better start to the season. After the first three games of the 2023-24 NBA season, the forward never scored 20 points in a single game. The Warriors star put up 11.3 points and 2.0 rebounds following the first three games of last season.