Kristaps Porzingis made his anticipated debut for the Golden State Warriors on Thursday against the Boston Celtics following his trade deadline move to the Bay Area. Porzingis managed an Achilles injury, forcing him to miss the first three games of his Golden State tenure. However, with the All-Star break giving him time to recover, the Latvian center returned against his former team.
Porzingis finished with 12 points, one rebound, one assist and two turnovers on 5 of 9 shots, including 2 of 5 from deep in 17:15 minutes. He was a plus-minus -4 in a 121-110 loss for the Warriors.
Kristaps Porzingis game recap vs. Celtics
Porzingis played off the bench. He entered the contest in the second quarter and played 2:51 minutes in his first stint. The 7-foot-3 center struggled initially, especially on defense. When he entered, the Warriors were down four; when Porzingis’ first stint ended, they were down 15. He had one turnover in that stretch and was a plus-minus -11.
Steve Kerr didn’t take Kristaps Porzingis off the floor after the timeout. The move didn’t change much as the Warriors’ deficit worsened by four more points. Porzingis attempted his first shot as a Warrior from 3 and missed.
Porzingis returned for a second stint before the half ended. While the Warriors continued to trail by a significant margin, it was a productive stint for Porzingis, who scored five points after a dunk and a long-range attempt. Golden State actively involved Porzingis on offense, setting him up on consecutive possessions.
He had five points, one rebound and two turnovers at halftime on 2 of 4 shots, including 1 of 2 from deep. Porzingis was a plus-minus -19 as the Warriors trailed 74-51.
Porzingis had a much better run in the second half, especially in the fourth. He scored seven points in the frame, all off jumpers. Porzingis still looked a step slow on defense and out of rhythm on a few offensive sets, but it was a decent run for his debut.
Once he gets his legs under him, Kristaps Porzingis might be able to contribute at a higher rate for the Warriors.
