Warriors’ Curry Remains Out, Porzingis Listed as Questionable for Celtics Game
The Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for Thursday night’s game against the Boston Celtics, as the four-time champion continues to struggle with a knee injury. However, there was encouraging news regarding Kristaps Porzingis, who is listed as questionable but participated fully in Wednesday’s practice, according to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
Curry attempted to participate in a team scrimmage on Wednesday night but was unable to do so, as runner’s knee continues to limit his availability. This marks the sixth consecutive game Curry will miss. Kerr stated that Curry will be re-evaluated by the team’s training staff and an update will be provided on Thursday.
“Just wasn’t where he needed to be to go through the scrimmage,” Kerr said, according to ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “And so it’s unfortunate, but we’ll have an update tomorrow after he goes through his time with the training staff tonight.”
The Warriors had hoped the All-Star break would provide Curry with sufficient time to recover, but the inflammation in his knee persists. Kerr indicated that Curry may undergo another MRI after consulting with Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ lead medical decision-maker.
Porzingis, who was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks, appears to be progressing well and could make his Warriors debut soon. Kerr noted that Porzingis looked good in practice and will be a game-time decision.
“He practiced. We’ll list him as questionable for tomorrow, but full participant in practice, scrimmage and looked good, so fingers crossed,” Kerr said.
Kerr acknowledged that integrating Porzingis into the offense will require some adjustments, particularly in terms of spacing. He highlighted the differences in playing styles between Porzingis and Jimmy Butler, noting that Porzingis is a scorer who operates in the mid-post and low post, while Butler frequently drives to the rim.
“Kristaps is really a scorer in the mid-post, low post, turn-and-face, shoot a mid-range jump shot, draw a foul. Jimmy’s obviously a guy who will drive frequently all the way to the rim, draw the defense in and then look to pass from there, so they’re very different players and the spacing has to allow for that,” Kerr explained.
Regarding Porzingis’ defensive impact, Kerr believes his size and shot-blocking ability will be a valuable asset. He anticipates starting Porzingis with a minutes restriction initially, gradually increasing his playing time as he gets more comfortable.
“He’s a rim protector, shot blocker. Just the size alone, it’s just gonna be a welcome addition. We’re obviously pretty small team and so it’s great to have his size and he’s very versatile,” Kerr said. “I have not talked about it yet with Rick, but usually when a guy hasn’t played in a while, you’re talking the 15-minute range, somewhere in there.”
Kerr also addressed the team’s overall focus for the remainder of the season, emphasizing the importance of defense, transition offense, and ball security. He stated that the team is committed to building towards the playoffs and believes they can remain competitive even without Curry.
“It’s all about the playoffs this year. That’s what we’re looking to build towards. So the process is the most important thing, recognizing how we have to win games, what we have to accomplish within that process,” Kerr said. “We’ve gotta get better in transition. We’ve been very poor all season long, but especially lately. We’re not gonna get easy baskets without Jimmy and Steph unless You can convert our defense into offense.”
The Warriors currently hold an eighth-place record in the Western Conference with a 29-26 record, 4.5 games behind the Lakers and Timberwolves, who are tied for fifth place.
