Warriors Starter Ruled Out Right Before Start of Timberwolves Game

Golden State player who wasn't on the injury report is surprisingly ruled out

Steve Kerr | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Golden State Warriors will be without Gui Santos for Wednesday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.

Santos wasn't even on the injury report leading up to the game, but evidently his left knee flared up on him, as he's out with knee tendinitis.

Yaxel Lendeborg, who was listed as questionable with left foot soreness earlier Wednesday, is active.

The Warriors will start Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Georges Niang, Lendeborg and Draymond Green.

The Wolves will counter with LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert.

Warriors Will Be Very Short-Handed at Forward without Santos

Santos and Lendeborg have started three of the four games together at the forward spots, and they've played the majority of the forward minutes.

Without Santos, Steve Kerr will have to make some difficult rotation decisions.

The Warriors played Draymond Green at small-ball center against the Nuggets, and it was largely successful. Against the Wolves, he'll have to play some of his minutes at forward.

That will force the Dubs to have Green play with Al Horford, Graham Ike or Charles Bassey at times. The Warriors will have more size with any of them, but they lose key spacing with Ike or Bassey, and a Horford-Green frontcourt comes with rebounding and interior-scoring drawbacks.

The Warriors will have to play more three-guard lineups, but their size could be exploited when the Timberwolves have Kuminga (6'7"), McDaniels (6'9") and Gobert (7'1") on the court at the same time.

The fact that Niang is starting suggests he'll see his highest minutes total of the season. Niang played a season-high 23 minutes against the Suns.