Warriors still waiting for a real glimpse at their highest on-court priority originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Roughly an hour before tipoff Tuesday night, the Warriors realized they would be deprived of watching a performance that in the final week of this unsatisfying NBA season matters more than winning.
They will be deprived of it again Thursday night.
The two-man game between Stephen Curry and Kristaps Porziņģis, the team’s highest on-court priority, was unavailable against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday will not face the Lakers on Thursday.
Porziņģis was listed as questionable Tuesday afternoon and later declared out with right knee soreness. He was back on the injury report Wednesday afternoon, this time listed as out with an illness. On that same report, Curry was listed as questionable.
Injuries, aches and illnesses continue to undermine Golden State’s season.
After hoping to evaluate the Curry-Porziņģis synergy for at least four games, the Warriors now will have no more than two, assuming both are available Friday at the Sacramento Kings. The short runway limits evaluation to imagination rather than reality.
This matters because Curry and Porziņģis, together, project to have the most influence on Golden State’s offense in the NBA play-in tournament and, perhaps, the playoffs. The mind’s eye sees fantastic basketball, but nothing would confirm the truth better than seeing these two together against a defense.
Curry and Porziņģis have talked about the importance of sharing minutes, as has coach Steve Kerr, who late Tuesday night remained hopeful.
“I don’t think it’s anything serious,” Kerr said of Porziņģis’ being scratched. “We’ll know in the next day or two.”
Kerr and the Warriors were bitten once again by the KP Experience. He is questionable until he steps onto the court, so it is wise to always brace for the possibility.
The Warriors, 10th in the Western Conference, will open the play-in tournament on the road next Tuesday or Wednesday to face either the Portland Trail Blazers or the Los Angeles Clippers. They’ve lost three of four to the Trail Blazers this season and two of three to the Clippers. A fourth game against LA comes Sunday in the regular-season finale.
Golden State’s next two games are the home finale Thursday night, followed by a late-night bus trip to Sacramento to confront the Kings on Friday before a late-night flight to LA.
The Warriors hope to see Curry and Porziņģis on Friday and Sunday. Two late-season games build some level of chemistry rarely is sufficient.
Curry and Porziņģis shared the court for the first time on Sunday, posting a plus-2 in two three-minute stints in a loss to Houston. They almost certainly would have spent more time together down the stretch, but Porziņģis fouled out early in the fourth quarter.
Those six minutes didn’t offer much to assess. Porziņģis seemed out of sorts throughout, perhaps affected by his foul trouble.
Aside from Curry, all the key healthy players on the roster have shared the floor with Porziņģis. Al Horford, who is expected to return this week, doesn’t need additional minutes with KP. Neither does Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Brandon Podziemski, Gary Payton II or Gui Santos.
It’s Curry who matters most. He and Porziņģis are the two guys most likely to bedevil an opposing defense with Curry’s movement and KP using his 7-foot-3 height to scan the floor and create out of the post. This could in some ways mimic the Curry-Butler dynamic – with the bonus of Porziņģis’ ability to space the floor.
Or so one would think.
Seeing it, however, is the only way to know how they would impact each other. It’s a given that Curry lifts the offensive potential of every teammate. That much was on display Tuesday with De’Anthony Melton.
After a miserable March, shooting 39 percent from the field, including 25 percent from deep, while Curry was sidelined, Melton’s offensive efficiency soared. He scored a team-high 21 points, shooting 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-6 beyond the arc. Yes, this was the Kings, but this was a reminder that Melton still is a weapon.
“I don’t think it’s any coincidence that he’s broken out here the last couple games,” Kerr said. “With Steph’s return there’s so much more focus on Steph, and that opens up the floor.”
Curry and Porziņģis understand this would apply to them. Theoretically. They’ve heard about the virtues of them playing off each other and would like to experience the rhythm.
Didn’t have a chance Tuesday night. Won’t have a chance Thursday night. Maybe Friday night. Anything but another postponement.
“We just prioritize health,” Kerr said. “The rhythm comes after that. We’ll do whatever we have to do to be healthy, and we’ll hope to find some rhythm from there.”
Health issues have torn the delicate fabric of Golden State’s season. There is no sign of it going away. Until it does, this team is but an abstract concept.
