Warriors debut for Kristaps Porzingis ends in 121-110 loss to Celtics
Kristaps Porzingis made his warriors debut on Thursday night, scoring 12 points in 17 minutes in Boston's 121-110 victory — a notable first appearance after he was acquired in the trade for forward Jonathan Kuminga and more than a month sidelined by injuries.
Warriors debut and the box score
Porzingis, acquired from the Hawks in a trade-deadline deal for Jonathan Kuminga, returned to action after being sidelined for more than a month by various injuries and setbacks; he participated fully in practice Wednesday and declared himself ready for Thursday’s game. Al Horford also appeared, making his first outing against the Celtics since leaving in free agency last summer, finishing with 5 points on 2-of-10 shooting in 28 minutes. The Warriors entered the night 29-27 and in eighth place in the Western Conference.
Porzingis facing his old Celtics teammates
The coincidence of Porzingis returning against his former team drew attention: he said he had caught up with former teammates and staff during the Celtics’ Jan. 17 visit to Atlanta but had been injured for both of the Hawks’ matchups with Boston. When asked about the matchup, he said, “Weird, weird. ” Porzingis added that he started working back into basketball shape a few weeks ago and feels healthy, noting, “I feel good on the court and I have done a bunch of work before the All-Star Break and I stayed active and did not take some time off because I’ve barely played this season. ”
Coaching notes and next steps
Coach Steve Kerr referenced past success with two-big lineups and said the pairing remains a possibility, mentioning, “As a two-man combination they were surrounding some good players, so you always have to look at things through your own team’s lens. ” Kerr added that the staff will evaluate lineups over the next couple of weeks to see how Porzingis and Horford might fit together going forward.
Porzingis’ debut and Horford’s return against the Celtics mark the start of a short evaluation period for the roster; coaches and players have said the team will get a feel for available combinations over the next couple of weeks.
