Celtics Vs Warriors: Porzingis' debut sparks late rally in 121-110 loss
Kristaps Porzingis made his Golden State debut Thursday in a 121-110 home loss to the Boston Celtics, and his 12-point, 17-minute cameo provided the Warriors a second-half jolt when they needed offense most.
Porzingis arrives off the bench and shows flashes
Porzingis, making only his 18th game of the season and his first since Jan. 7 with the Atlanta Hawks, was brought off the bench and limited to 17 minutes. He missed his first two shots, opened slowly and struggled to keep up with Boston’s pace, but finished with 12 points, one rebound and one assist while going 2-of-5 from three-point range.
Second-quarter collapse, late push
Boston opened distance early, outscoring Golden State 38-19 in the second quarter and leading by 32 when Porzingis reentered late in the third. Jaylen Brown finished with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Celtics closed with a 121-110 victory despite a Warriors rally sparked in part by Porzingis’ long-range shots and a pair of successful post-ups.
Coach, owner reaction and roster context
Coach Steve Kerr said, "Boston was incredible, " and noted the difficulty of integrating a new big man with limited practice. Owner Joe Lacob called Porzingis "encouraging, " praising his size at 7-foot-3 and saying, "Let’s get him ready, get him back to playing, get his timing back, and get used to our players. " The Warriors acquired Porzingis at the trade deadline in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield.
Porzingis said he felt better as the game went on and wants to increase his minutes: "Even tonight, I would've liked to go longer, " he said, adding he must "take it step by step" and hopes to add a couple minutes in the next game.
What this means for the short term
The Warriors, who have dropped to 29-27, entered the game without Stephen Curry, who remains sidelined with a lingering right-knee issue, and without Jimmy Butler, who tore his ACL and is done for the season. With Curry unavailable, Porzingis' ability to space the floor and protect the rim becomes a central storyline as Golden State tries to climb the standings in the stretch run.
Porzingis’ on-court impact showed in the box score split: the Warriors outscored Boston by 15 points with him on the court in the second half after being minus-19 during his first-half minutes, a sign the team hopes he can translate into steadier production as he builds conditioning and chemistry.
The Warriors’ next scheduled game is against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday at 3: 30 p. m. ET. The team will aim to increase Porzingis’ minutes and continue integrating him into rotations as they prepare for that matchup.
