Kristaps Porzingis hopes for additional playing time when the Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors meet the Denver Nuggets on Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.
Acquired at the trade deadline from Atlanta this month, Porzingis made his Warriors debut in a 121-110 home loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday. Coming off the bench, he had 12 points, one rebound, one assist and one block in 17 minutes of play.
His final five minutes, during which he hit 3 of 4 shots from the field and had seven points, came during a 19-9 Warriors run to open the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for Golden State, the spurt only put a small dent in what had been a 102-73 deficit to begin the period.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr nonetheless was impressed.
“He looked good,” Kerr told the media after the game. “It’s never easy just going to a new team, and having one practice, and playing. But you can see his talent, his feel for the game, his ability to space the floor, protect the rim. It’s good to have him on our team, that’s for sure.”
“The talent is so obvious. You saw him post up a couple of times and get buckets, space the floor, and shoot (3-pointers). The game really flows when he’s out there.”
Porzingis was on a minutes restriction in his first action since Jan. 7, when he played for the Hawks. He sat out six weeks with Achilles tendinitis and now believes he is ready to play.
“For the first game back after a while, getting some energy back, I’m feeling good,” he told reporters after the contest against the Celtics. “As the game went on, (I) felt better and better. I think this is a first step to keep building. It’s just a matter of time to get into a better rhythm.”
The loss was Golden State’s second straight and eighth in its last 12 games. The Warriors split decisions with the Nuggets earlier this season, with each team winning at home.
The difference in the games was that the Warriors had Curry (42 points) in a 137-131 overtime win in October and were without him in a 129-104 blowout loss at Denver in November.
While the Warriors again will be without Jimmy Butler III (torn ACL) for a 13th straight game and Curry (right knee) for a seventh in a row, the Nuggets will try to ride the momentum of a 157-point explosion in a 54-point win at Portland on Friday.
The Nuggets also will take the court Sunday without two key players, as Aaron Gordon (hamstring) will miss a 12th consecutive game and Peyton Watson (hamstring) a sixth straight. Denver has alternated wins and losses over the last five games with both players out.
The good news for the Nuggets is that Nikola Jokic has played nine straight games after missing almost the entire month of January with a hyperextended left knee. He had four consecutive triple-doubles during his return until he was held to six assists and seven assists in his last two outings.
Jokic noted after the rout of Portland that the Nuggets need to avoid coasting into playoff position, something he blamed for a 115-114 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
“We needed to play with a lot more urgency,” Jokic told reporters in Portland. “We just had a good momentum to start the game. We were the aggressors, we were the ones who were setting the pace and tempo of the game.”
