Preview: Another chance at the unlikely
Help is coming (no, not him)
The Golden State Warriors might be getting some additional help back - but it’s not Stephen Curry. Instead, a couple of other surprising players have been quietly upgraded for todays game against the OKC Thunder. Now, before you go getting excited about the Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry pick-and-pop game, be advised that both are merely listed as Questionable.
via Anthony Slater:
Kristaps Porzingis and Seth Curry have been upgraded to questionable tomorrow night in Oklahoma City for the Warriors. Both have a chance to return after getting through recent court work. Will Richard and De’Anthony Melton also questionable.
Still, nice to see!
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (31-30)at OKC Thunder (49-15)
WHEN: Saturday, March 7th, 2026: 5:30pm PST
WATCH: ABC/ESPN
It doesn’t have to work perfectly - just has to work
Something sort of magical is developing in Golden State. Players up and down the roster are pitching in just enough to keep the team afloat. That has always been the plan of course, but it was presumably derailed after injuries; first to Jimmy Butler, and then Curry.
And no, the outcomes aren’t flawless, and certainly hard to see this team as an overwhelming force, but they win. This is a team assembled from the bargain bin mostly, but it is worth noting that the team’s two biggest free agency moves (De’Anthony Melton and Al Horford) have emerged as the steady stalwart leaders of this team. Draymond Green’s play has been streaky, but he played some inspiring basketball against the Houston Rockets and might be taking a queue from the low-key leadership of Melton and Horford.
It’s been a struggle this season. The Warriors haven’t really managed to stabilize a lineup combination for extended periods all season. Sometimes it’s the marginal players around the edge. Kuminga was in and out of the depth chart before ultimately losing out to Gui Santos (another player who was excellent against the Rockets). Melton joined late, Horford only plays in select games, Podz has teetered on the edge of ineptitude, but managed to cling to his spot and has been thriving recently. All throughout this long complicated story, the Warriors are making adjustments.
This new adjustment feels like the basketball equivalent to Chopped. Kerr and the Warriors aren’t simply being asked to field their best team, they’ve got to do so while cooking on nothing but a clothes iron, and the only knife they can use is one of those kids safety ones with bumps instead of serrations that you buy at the grocery store checkout.
But that’s just the feeling of it all. The reality is somewhere nearer, more immediate. These aren’t guys who have no business being on the court, these are players that have likely spent most of their lives as the best basketball player they know. Now in the NBA, there’s another gear to find, but these dudes all know how to drive this machine.
Prediction
Can they do it again tonight and pull off the win? Unlikely. But as we’ve seen. Not impossible either. Let’s choose to hope. Warriors win a tight one.
Full disclosure, me and my family are on a road trip and it got a little sideways. About an hour and a half from home (on a four hour drive) the battery light came on while driving. I’m not a car guy, but I know the battery shouldn’t die while the carrs running. We managed to pull off, found a mechanic, and got a loaner car, but it was a long night, and short morning.
See you tonight!