Kristaps Porzingis exits Warriors’ defeat due to lower back spasms.
DETROIT — Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis exited Friday night’s away defeat in Detroit due to lower back spasms and indicated after the game that he will “probably” be unavailable for Saturday night’s matchup in Atlanta against a Hawks team that traded him in February.
“We’ll see,” Porzingis remarked. “Maybe it loosens up tomorrow. Who knows? But right now it’s pretty stiff.”
Porzingis mentioned that he initially felt his back tightening during the first quarter, but the discomfort intensified late in the second quarter following consecutive plays where he collided with Pistons center Jalen Duren.
On Porzingis’ last play of the evening, he leaped for an inaccurate hit-ahead pass while Duren was pushing him from behind. Upon landing, Porzingis reached for his lower back and requested to leave the game. He walked slowly to the locker room, accompanied by trainer Drew Yoder, and the team declared him out after halftime.
“When I was warm, I was OK,” Porzingis stated. “But on that one play I felt a little spasm.”
Porzingis had recently gained some momentum, overcoming a previous illness to participate in six of the Warriors’ last eight games, increasing his minute limit to 26 and emphasizing to reporters that this was the best he had felt this season.
He had recorded 11, 17, 20, and 30 points in the last four games, estimating after Wednesday night’s loss in Boston that he was at 60 percent of his usual self and only required a few more games to find his full rhythm.
However, Porzingis is now expected to be sidelined in the short term as injury concerns continue to mount for the 33-37 Warriors. They committed a season-high 27 turnovers in Friday’s loss to the Pistons and have lost seven of their last eight games.
Porzingis expressed that he did not consider the back issue to be serious, noting that he had experienced similar problems earlier in his career and knew how to manage it effectively.
“I would say I’m pretty good at managing it, keeping my back strong,” Porzingis said. “Little tight now. Once I cool down, it’ll tighten up more.”
The Hawks traded Porzingis to the Warriors in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield before the February 5 deadline. Kuminga has faced his own health challenges since joining the Hawks, missing several games, including Friday night’s loss in Houston due to a bone bruise in his knee, but it is anticipated that Kuminga will be available to play against the Warriors on Saturday night.
