Warriors eye post All-Star returns for Curry, Porzingis
It's official now: two games of survival prior to reinforcements
Just a couple more games remain before the NBA’s annual All-Star break hits, granting most of the league a full week off to heal up and prepare for the final push through the end of the regular season. Coming into tonight after that Lakers game, and still adjusting to their new trajectories, the Warriors are likely circling this one as the game they could most easily win (they close out against the Spurs on Wednesday). It’s a light circle though, this game will not be easy.
The big news coming out of Golden State is that the Warriors are eyeballing post-break returns for both Kristaps Porzingis and Steph Curry. There had been some doubt in both cases, but this makes a lot of sense - both to get healthy, and to ensure the broadest runway for this new lineup to practice together.
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (28-25) vs. Memphis Grizzlies (20-31)
WHEN: Monday, February 9th, 2026; 7pm PST
WATCH: NBCSBA
14 of 51 from deep is a symptom of the problem
In case you missed it, the Warriors were doomed against the Lakers. A two-fold hammering between the relentless LeBron James takeover in the 3rd quarter, and some freezing cold shooting from three-point range. Golden State is first in the league in three-point attempts, and just 12th in shooting efficiency from deep - and that’s with Curry.
It’s more than the ol’ live by the three die by the three adage,1 the Warriors are facing. There’s two related truths over these next two games to contend with: they won’t have the best player on the court on any given night; and on a related note, they will be enslaved by being absolutely reliant on threes to keep them scoring without Curry or Butler.
None of this is sustainable, and the Warriors know it. Tonight isn’t about solving the puzzle, it’s about keeping the box intact until the missing pieces finally come back.
The good news is that Curry helps with the first issue, and… well, Curry mostly will be asked to solve both issues most nights. But still, the flaws that this current iteration of the roster is contending with are significant. In their last game, the team showed not just their desperation for scoring, but how the team structure impacts that desperation to steepen the hill they’ll have to climb.
The Warriors know that without Curry, none of this works anyways - and throwing Porzingis directly into the solar system without its Sun being present isn’t going to facilitate his smooth entry into this new orbit. Yes, Porzingis is an expiring - and a second (or perhaps third) option on the trade market after the initial plan(s) fell through, but I haven’t been this excited about a Latvian basketball player being on the Warriors in years!
It’s pointless to spend much time on thinking about what a legit 7’2” stretch center with a nose for rebounds would look like with Curry and the Warriors, but the good news is that our curiosity will be satisfied shortly. Yes, it’s a one-year look, but the Warriors have yet again made a gamble on an aging injured, former top prospect big man, and it could work out again.
There will be plenty of time to explore that conjecture over the break, and none of it matters for tonight’s game. This is one of those games that doesn’t tell you much about what the Warriors are, but might tell you plenty about whether they can survive what they aren’t yet. The break is close. Help is coming. Until then, every possession feels borrowed.
For now, this is what the Warriors look like in the in-between: short-handed, three-point dependent, and trying to tread water until the calendar finally flips. Nights like this aren’t about statements or style points - they’re about stealing a win where you can, getting out healthy, and holding the line until the real version of this roster finally shows up.
Prediction
A whole lot of Pat Spencer, and as much Gui Santos as we are allowed!
Not because it’s the plan, but because it’s the reality. The Warriors are grinding through the final days before the break, hoping the math works out one more time before the stars return to the floor.
“Live by the three, die by the three” is probably closer to an aphorism than an adage, but there’s a nerdy word limit to these articles we try not to exceed.
Post game thread up, heh heh heh heh
From the prediction
> as much Gui Santos as we are allowed!