SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors are without Draymond Green and Kristaps Porziņģis for Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets.
Porziņģis was declared out with an illness earlier Sunday. Green was scratched just before the opening tip with a lower back issue.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it’s unclear whether Porziņģis will travel during the team’s two-game trip to New Orleans and Memphis this week. Kerr also said he was unsure of what kind of illness Porziņģis had. In the short term, Quinten Post is expected to take Porziņģis’ minutes.
“I haven’t talked to him,” Kerr said of Porziņģis before the game. “I got a text this morning that he was sick and at the hotel. He’s not even gonna come over here. He’s pretty sick.”
Porziņģis, 30, was acquired just before the NBA trade deadline earlier this month from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. He made his Warriors debut Thursday night against the Boston Celtics, and Kerr had been confident heading into the game that Porziņģis, who played 17 minutes against the Celtics, would be available to play a few more minutes against the Nuggets.
Porziņģis has dealt with a variety of health issues over the last two years, appearing in only 60 games. Kerr has said repeatedly that the Warriors wouldn’t have decided to trade for Porziņģis unless they thought he could stay healthy.
Al Horford is expected to start in place of Green. Kerr addressed the Green’s struggles on the court during his pregame news conference, noting that he wants the 14-year veteran to continue to shoot from the outside when open. Green is shooting just 32 percent from beyond the arc this season. He was 0-for-7 from the field and registered a minus-28 in Thursday’s loss to the Celtics.
“We want him taking every open 3,” Kerr said. “He’s very capable. (The) San Antonio game right before the break, he was amazing, both his defense on Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) and then making multiple 3s and distributing the ball. We know what Draymond’s capable of. We know, too, that as you get older, it’s tougher to do it every night. In his prime, you could count on him every single night. You get older, it just doesn’t work that way. There’s gonna be nights when shots go in, there’s nights where they don’t, but the thing that’s consistent with Draymond is he’s there for us every night.
“The level of defensive intensity, but also just (his) acumen is so helpful for us. And then we just have to read the game. There’s been a few games lately where Al (Horford) has closed without Draymond. So, it’s our job as a staff to find the best combinations and read the game. In the past, Draymond would always be out there at the end of the game, and now it might be Al. Draymond understands that, and he’s handled that really well.”