Kristaps Porzingis Reacts to Warriors Debut in Return from Injury After Loss to Celtics
Kristaps Porziņģis reflected on his Golden State Warriors debut during the team's 121-110 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
"I felt all right," Porziņģis said, per ESPN's Anthony Slater. "Far from being in perfect shape. But I think for first game back after a while, getting some energy back, I'm feeling good."
He finished with 12 points, one rebound, one assist and one block in 17 minutes off the bench. Porziņģis shot 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-5 from behind the arc.
The Warriors took a cautious approach with the 30-year-old's playing time, as he was making his first appearance since Jan. 7 after dealing with an illness and Achilles tendonitis.
"Even tonight, I would've liked to go longer," Porziņģis said, per Slater. "Even if I'm exhausted out there, I still want to push myself. But I know I have to take it step by step. Add a couple minutes next game hopefully."
Golden State acquired Porziņģis in a Feb. 5 trade with the Atlanta Hawks, sending out Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield in return.
Despite being limited by injuries in recent years, Porziņģis still served as a key starter on Boston Celtics squads that won at least 61 games in each of the past two seasons and captured a championship in 2024.
This year, he's averaging 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game on 46.1/36.3/84.0 shooting splits.
