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Warriors' Kelly Oubre Jr. Ruled out vs. Trail Blazers with Wrist Injury

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured ColumnistMarch 4, 2021

Golden State Warriors guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) against the Charlotte Hornets during an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The Golden State Warriors will reportedly be without Kelly Oubre Jr. for Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers

Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the news, noting Oubre suffered a wrist injury during Tuesday's practice. Oubre has appeared in all 35 games for the 19-16 Warriors this season.

The Kansas product has been a key addition for Golden State this season and is third on the team with 15.5 points per game. He is also averaging 5.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals a night while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from deep.

He has taken advantage of the additional space playing alongside Stephen Curry has created by cutting into the lane and consistently launching from the outside, and he is someone who can help take the defensive pressure off the two-time MVP's shoulders by guarding some of the opponent's best ball-handlers.

Oubre, who has also played for the Washington Wizards, averaged a career-best 18.7 points per game last season for the Phoenix Suns.

His absence means Andrew Wiggins will take on more scoring responsibility from the wing. Look for the combination of Damion Lee and Kent Bazemore to see more playing time as well.

Wednesday's game is the first of back-to-back showdowns against the Trail Blazers and Suns for the Warriors as they look to enter the All-Star break with momentum against fellow Western Conference playoff contenders.