Warriors May Lose Top Guard

The Golden State Warriors are bracing for another blow in a nightmarish season.

Tim Hardaway, to this point the only member of the Warriors (17-40) to play in every game, will find out today whether he needs season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Hardaway, who helped put a stop to the Warriors’ six-game losing streak with 31 points in a 106-103 win at Seattle on Monday, has already been told by two hand specialists that he should have surgery.

A three-month rehabilitation is required and putting it off until the end of the season could cause problems in preparing for next season.

“The team doctors have told me I have to have an operation, maybe this weekend,” Hardaway said. “They say I can’t finish the season.”

The three-time All-Star guard wanted another opinion before making a decision, and was scheduled to visit Dr. Norman Zemel of the Kerlan-Jobe Clinic in Los Angeles today.

Kevin Willis was suspended without pay for one game by the Miami Heat for failing to comply with the team’s rehabilitation program.

Willis has missed the last four games with a severe back strain. He was suspended for Tuesday’s game with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The New York Knicks placed forward Charles Smith, who has a sprained knee, on the injured list.