Detroit– Golden State Warriors Center kristaps porzingis He suffered lower back spasms in Friday night’s road loss at Detroit and said after the game he would “probably” miss Saturday night’s reunion game in Atlanta against the Hawks team that traded him in February.
“We’ll see,” Porzingis said. “Maybe tomorrow it will loosen up. Who knows? But right now it’s pretty tight.”
Porzingis said he first felt tightness in his back in the first quarter, but the problem worsened late in the second quarter after colliding with the Pistons big man in back-to-back games. Jalen Duren.
On Porzingis’ final possession of the night, he went for a layup on an errant hit-ahead pass as Duren was pushing him from behind. Upon landing, Porzingis grabbed his lower back and asked him to leave the game. He walked slowly toward the locker room, followed by trainer Drew Yoder, and the team wheeled him out after halftime.
“When I was hot, I was OK,” Porzingis said. “But in that one game I felt a little cramp.”
Porzingis had some momentum recently, overcoming another bout of illness to play in six of the Warriors’ last eight games, increasing his minutes limit to 26 and reiterating to reporters that it was the best experience he had this season.
He had scored 11, 17, 20 and 30 points in the past four games, estimated after Wednesday night’s loss in Boston that he was 60 percent of his normal self and needed only a few more games to regain full rhythm.
But Porzingis will now likely be sidelined for the foreseeable future as injury problems continue to mount for the 33-37 Warriors. They faced a season-high 27 rebounds in Friday’s loss to the Pistons and have lost seven of their last eight games.
Porzingis said he did not believe the back problem was serious, saying he had dealt with similar trouble early in his career and knew how to keep it quiet.
“I would say I’m pretty good at managing it and keeping my back strong,” Porzingis said. “A little tight right now. Once I cool down, it’ll be even tighter.”
Hawks trade Porzingis to Warriors Jonathan Kuminga And buddy heald Before the February 5 deadline. Kuminga has been dealing with his health issues since joining the Hawks, he has missed a few games including Friday night’s loss at Houston due to a knee injury, but Kuminga is expected to be on the floor against the Warriors on Saturday night.
