The Golden State Warriors are once again being pushed into survival mode up front.
With their frontcourt severely depleted by injuries, Golden State will be forced to lean heavily on small-ball lineups Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, as veteran big men Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis are both sidelined.
Horford has been ruled out with a left toe injury, while Porziņģis remains out due to illness and did not travel with the team — a strong signal he will miss multiple games on the Warriors’ two-game road swing.
Porziņģis Remains Sidelined, Misses Entire Road Trip
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that Porziņģis did not accompany the team to New Orleans or Memphis, effectively ruling him out for at least the next two contests.
“Kristaps Porzingis did not make the trip to New Orleans with the Warriors,” Slater wrote. “It’s a quick two-gamer with a back-to-back in Memphis. This would indicate Porzingis (out with illness yesterday) is expected to miss at least the next two games. Draymond Green did make the trip.”
The continued absence of Porziņģis leaves Golden State without its prized trade deadline acquisition and further thins a rotation that has been reshuffled repeatedly amid mounting injuries.
Warriors star Stephen Curry remains out with a “runner’s knee” along with Jimmy Butler, who had a season-ending ACL injury in January.
Draymond Green Set to Return After Late Scratch
The Warriors did receive a measure of relief.
Green is listed as probable on the NBA’s official injury report after missing Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets due to lower-back tightness. The issue surfaced during warmups, forcing a late scratch.
“He was going to play, and he went out to warm up, but his lower back tightened up,” head coach Steve Kerr said Sunday. “So we scratched him at that point. With the back-to-back coming up, we’ll see.”
Green ultimately traveled with the team and is expected to anchor Golden State’s defense and small-ball lineups with Horford and Porziņģis unavailable.
Veteran guard De’Anthony Melton has also been upgraded to available after he was initially listed as questionable due to left knee injury management.
Brutal Timing After Horford’s Best Night as a Warrior
The injury to Horford couldn’t have come at a worse time.
The 39-year-old had just delivered the best performance of his Warriors tenure Sunday, stepping into the starting lineup and torching Denver in a stunning 128–117 upset win.
Horford finished with 22 points, seven assists, and six three-pointers, snapping Golden State’s two-game losing streak and igniting an offense that never looked back.
“Once I realized I had to start, I just needed to make sure that I brought energy and those shots were available early on,” Horford said. “I wanted us to play with pace, play fast, and get the ball moving.”
He scored 17 points in just 14 first-half minutes, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and 5-of-6 from three-point range, eclipsing his previous season-high and marking his most made threes in a game this year.
According to Polymarket Hoops, Horford became the oldest center in NBA history to hit five three-pointers in a first half, a remarkable feat that underscored how thin Golden State’s margin for error has become.
Warriors Lean on Small-Ball — Again
With Horford and Porziņģis unavailable, the Warriors will be forced to revisit a familiar formula: speed, spacing, and versatility over size.
That puts added pressure on Green, as well as second-year center Quinten Post, who struggled offensively against Denver and finished scoreless in 21 minutes. Golden State will need more from Post as a screener and rim presence, even if his minutes remain situational.
For a team built around movement, shooting, and defensive versatility, small-ball has often been a strength. But it also exposes Golden State to rebounding and interior mismatches — risks magnified during a road back-to-back.
As the injuries pile up, the Warriors once again find themselves adapting on the fly. With Green returning and Melton easing back, Golden State will try to stabilize — even if it means leaning into a version of itself that has become a necessity rather than a choice.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Warriors Get More Bad News as Injuries Pile Up appeared first on Heavy Sports.