Warriors' Andre Iguodala out at least 2 weeks with left ankle sprain
— -- Golden State Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala will miss a minimum of two weeks because of a sprained left ankle, the team announced.
"It's a big deal. It's a really big deal. Andre is so important to everything that we do,'' coach Steve Kerr said before Saturday's 123-116 win over the Phoenix Suns. "It's not just schematically, but in terms of emotion: He settles us down. ... He's one of our guys who knows what's happening on the floor."
Iguodala suffered the injury Friday with two minutes left in the third quarter of his team's 128-112 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He and Portland's Damian Lillard pursued a loose ball, and Lillard wound up undercutting Iguodala and rolling over his ankle.
"He got it good," Iguodala said.
Iguodala stuck around to shoot free throws, then Golden State fouled to stop the clock, and he hobbled to the locker room. Following Friday's win, the Warriors' sixth man used an umbrella as a cane to ease the burden on his sprained ankle as he departed Oracle Arena, where the team has now won 48 consecutive games.
Iguodala was considered questionable for Saturday's game, but an MRI confirmed the ankle sprain. He will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
The injury comes as the 59-6 Warriors are chasing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' single-season record of 72 wins. Golden State remains one game ahead of the record-setting Bulls' pace, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The 32-year-old Iguodala was the NBA Finals MVP last year, when the Warriors won the title for the first time since 1975. The reserve is averaging 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in 60 games this season.
Kerr said he expects reserve forward Brandon Rush will see an increase in minutes. Point guard Ian Clark could also get more time on the court.
"We've got a lot of guys who are really smart players, who understand the game, who know the ebbs and flows, when to calm things down," Kerr said. "We have to get the right combinations out there. But nobody's going to replace Andre. This guy was the Finals MVP and one of the smartest people I've ever been around."
ESPN's J.A. Adande and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
