SAN FRANCISCO — Kristaps Porzingis’ initial appearance for the Warriors occurred on Thursday evening, resulting in a 121-110 home defeat against the Boston Celtics, a contest where the outcome seemed predetermined.
This marked merely the eighteenth time Porzingis played this season, and his first participation since January 7th, during his tenure with the Atlanta Hawks, preceding his trade to the Warriors by almost a full month.
Consequently, the Warriors managed his comeback cautiously, deploying Porzingis as a reserve and restricting him to seventeen minutes. Porzingis started sluggishly, failing on his initial two attempts and finding it difficult to match the Celtics’ relentless offensive surge.
Boston surpassed the Warriors’ score 38-19 during the second period and held a thirty-two-point advantage when Porzingis returned to play deep in the third quarter. Jaylen Brown, the Celtics’ prominent player, concluded with twenty-three points, fifteen rebounds, and thirteen assists.
“Boston displayed exceptional performance,” declared Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “They are experiencing an extraordinary season. At this moment, they operate with mechanical precision.”
Nonetheless, the Warriors mounted a comeback and briefly appeared poised to reduce Boston’s advantage to fewer than ten points, partly due to a burst of activity from Porzingis. He converted two deep three-pointers, executed a couple of effective post moves, and accumulated twelve points. The Warriors registered fifteen more points than the Celtics when Porzingis was playing in the second half, contrasting with a nineteen-point deficit during his first-half minutes.
“He simply seemed more at ease and established,” commented Kerr.
Porzingis expressed his desire to increase his playing time “with utmost speed.”
“Even in this game, I would have preferred to continue playing for a longer duration,” Porzingis stated. “Even if I feel completely drained on the court, I am still driven to challenge myself. However, I understand that I must progress gradually. Hopefully, I can gain a few additional minutes in the subsequent match.”
The Warriors are scheduled to compete against the Denver Nuggets this Sunday (12:30 p.m. PT, ABC). They will continue to play without Jimmy Butler, who sustained an ACL tear and will miss the rest of the season, along with Stephen Curry, whose recurring right knee problem will keep him out for a minimum of four contests.
Lacking their top two performers, the struggling Warriors have fallen to a 29-27 record and require Porzingis to quickly find his stride and accelerate his performance to provide a much-needed offensive enhancement.
“I felt reasonably well,” Porzingis remarked. “I am far from being in ideal physical condition. Nevertheless, considering this is my initial game returning after some time, and regaining a degree of energy, I am feeling positive.”
