The Golden State Warriors needed a spark on Friday night, and Kristaps Porziņģis delivered — scoring 28 points with five made threes in a 131-126 win over the Washington Wizards at Chase Center.
The performance looked sharp on paper, especially in the fourth quarter when Golden State needed him most. Porziņģis and Gui Santos took over late, with Santos adding 27 points (13 in the final frame). Brandin Podziemski nearly recorded his first career triple-double, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Yet after the game, Porziņģis was refreshingly honest about something most players would gloss over.
“Honestly, it’s not feeling good,” he said of his jumper. “You’re gonna see once I get it right. There’s gonna be a difference for sure.”
That candor cuts through the noise. Porziņģis made five threes and still walked away convinced there’s another level waiting once his shot feels natural again. For a Warriors team fighting for play-in positioning with only eight games left, the idea of Porziņģis finding that gear is worth watching closely.
The Night That Was for Golden State
The win wasn’t pretty, but it was earned. Golden State trailed by five in the fourth before the duo of Porziņģis and Santos took control. The Warriors started strong with 11 assists on 14 made shots in the first quarter and zero turnovers, but the third quarter nearly unraveled with six turnovers that kept Washington in the game longer than they deserved.
This victory marked three straight wins for the Warriors — the first streak of that length since both Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler were healthy.
The Curry Shadow Still Looms Large
The wins are coming, but the question of whether Curry will be part of what comes next is not going away.
Head coach Steve Kerr was direct this week about the situation. Golden State is not rushing Curry back just to get him into a play-in game. He needs real games to regain his body and rhythm, and that window is closing fast.
“We are running out of games,” Kerr said.
Curry remains encouraged and is pushing hard to return. Kerr noted that his spirits are good despite the frustration of the process. The latest evaluation showed continued progress on patellofemoral pain syndrome and bone bruising in his right knee, but another week of recovery leaves him with at most five regular-season games to ramp up if everything aligns.
Kerr has been clear about what it means to have Curry fighting to get back.
“We’re all really so lucky to have him, just because it’s great for the other guys to see how much it means to him,” Kerr said.
The emotion is real. So is the deadline.
Porziņģis’ Honesty Highlights Bigger Picture
Porziņģis’ admission that his jumper still doesn’t feel right — despite a 5-of-? night from deep — is telling. He arrived in Golden State in February via trade from the Atlanta Hawks, stepping into a roster already decimated by injuries. Jimmy Butler is done for the year. Moses Moody is out for the season with a torn patellar tendon. Curry has been sidelined since late January.
In nine games with the Warriors, Porziņģis is averaging 15.9 points on 41.9/27.8/82.7 shooting. When healthy and in rhythm, he offers exactly the kind of spacing and rim protection the Warriors need alongside Curry. His recent 30-point outburst showed the upside, but consistency has been elusive.
General manager Mike Dunleavy has already signaled the team’s intentions.
“We see him as more than a rental,” Dunleavy said in early March. “We feel he can help our team this year, better our playoff position, and then moving forward fits what we are looking for.”
Outlook for the Final Stretch
Eight games remain. The play-in is looming. And somewhere in the background, Curry is still pushing to be part of it.
The Warriors are not done yet. Porziņģis stepping up with 28 points is a reminder that the supporting cast can carry the load when needed. But everyone in the organization knows the ceiling rises dramatically when Curry is on the floor.
For now, the focus is on winning the games in front of them and staying healthy. If Porziņģis continues to find his rhythm — and if Curry can return in time — the Warriors may still have one last push left in them.
Warriors fans, how encouraged are you by Porziņģis’ recent play despite his own admission that the jumper isn’t fully there yet? And how realistic do you think it is for Curry to return in time to make the play-in meaningful?
The season has been a grind, but the Warriors are still fighting — and they need every healthy body they can get.