The Golden State Warriors are set to take on the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on Wednesday at 5:30am IST, but they will once again be without rising forward Jonathan Kuminga. This marks the third straight game Kuminga has missed as he continues to deal with knee tendinitis that has turned into a growing concern for the team.
Orlando will also be missing a key young star of its own. Paolo Banchero, the former No. 1 overall pick, remains sidelined with a groin injury that has already kept him out of the past two games.
Kuminga has been out since leaving at halftime during Golden State’s first matchup with the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center last week. Despite his absence, the Warriors have managed to string together three straight wins. They swept the Spurs in a mini two game set and followed that up with a strong performance against the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
Veteran shooter Buddy Hield is listed as probable due to illness, but the Warriors otherwise have one of their cleaner injury reports of the season as they prepare for another tough back to back. They will head to Miami to face the Heat on Thursday.
Al Horford is not listed on the injury report, confirming that he will sit out the Miami matchup. The Heat may once again be without Bam Adebayo, who has missed six consecutive games with a toe injury. Orlando could also be down starting guard Jalen Suggs, who is questionable with knee soreness after missing Monday’s overtime loss to the Houston Rockets.
Both Golden State and Orlando appear to be settling into form after uneven starts. The Magic were one of the early surprises for the wrong reasons during the opening weeks of the season. However they have steadied themselves by winning four of their last six. Their record now sits at 7-7, although the team will feel they should be 8-6 after letting a nine point fourth quarter lead slip in Houston.
Wedneday's matchup becomes an intriguing test for both teams. Orlando’s threat level drops without Banchero, but Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane have stepped up in his absence. The duo has averaged a combined 49.5 points across the last two games.
For the Warriors, the road trip began with a rough blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but they have rebounded convincingly. A win in Orlando would push them to 10-6 and reinforce the idea that they are finally finding consistency.