Warriors' Steph Curry finally gets extended run with Kristaps Porzingis: ‘That's a good preview'

PHOENIX - Stephen Curry, meet Kristaps Porzingis. Tall guy, long arms, easy smile. Sort of gangly. Favors line-drive, long-range shots.

This subplot unfolded within the drama of Wednesday night's captivating Golden State Warriors victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry poured home 35 points to propel the Warriors into Friday night's duel against Phoenix, with the winner earning a playoff berth. 

Porzingis' availability spins in some doubt - he's listed as questionable to face the Suns because of right ankle soreness. He was limping in the locker room after Wednesday's game in Los Angeles. 

Before that, he and Curry spent time getting to know each other, basketball-wise, amid the tension of a win-or-go-home setting. They had played together in only three regular-season games since the Warriors acquired Porzingis from Atlanta on Feb. 5, and the numbers were not encouraging.

It's a small sample size, obviously, but in 15 minutes on the court they produced a net rating of minus-41.9 (measuring points per 100 possessions compared to Golden State's opponent). They played alongside each other for 16 minutes Wednesday night, yielding a net rating of minus-8.8 - not great but clearly much better. 

More important, Curry and Porzingis passed the eye test. They sure looked like a potent tandem against the Clippers - creating space for each other, flinging 3-pointers, stirring tantalizing visions of what the Warriors could become if they find a way to bring back Porzingis next season. 

"Yeah, that's a good preview of what could potentially be," Porzingis said.

Porzingis counts as one major decision the Warriors must make in the offseason, maybe their biggest decision. They traded for him knowing he will become an unrestricted free agent. That offered appealing flexibility, a chance for Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy and head coach Steve Kerr to see how Porzingis fits alongside Curry. 

But then Curry's knee injury lingered, Porzingis had to navigate some health issues and the period of experimentation all but vanished. So Kerr threw them out there as part of Wednesday night's starting lineup, hoping they could figure it out on the fly.

And that's what they did.

Porzingis scored 20 points with five rebounds and five assists in 27-plus minutes. He went 3 for 6 beyond the arc, one of several impressive performances in support of Curry as the Warriors extended their season. 

"I just wanted to come in with good energy, crash the boards, be as active as I can, just give everything I could to the team," Porzingis said. "And I was able to convert some offensive rebounds and do some little things well."

One quick word on his offensive rebounding: Porzingis flew in from the perimeter on a Brandin Podziemski free-throw miss late in the first quarter. Porzingis soared above every other player for a resounding dunk, hanging on the rim for emphasis. 

The Warriors are not accustomed to having a player with that sort of size and athleticism on their side. But they seemed to really enjoy it.

"I've done that 100 times and it never worked," Porzingis said, smiling, of trying to time a free-throw miss. "Today I finally got it."

Another moment stood out in Wednesday's game. The Warriors trailed by six points with just under eight minutes remaining; Porzingis had the ball on the perimeter, open, and appeared poised to launch a 3-point. 

Then he spotted Curry cutting toward the basket - and Porzingis quickly delivered a nifty bounce pass for an easy layup. 

That kind of play offers more evidence for the try-to-keep-Porzingis argument. He turns 31 in August, making him the rare Warriors player not 36-plus (Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, Al Horford) or 23-and-under (Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Moses Moody).

On the flip side, Porzingis brings an injury-prone history. He played in only 57, 42 and 32 regular-season games the past three seasons. 

For now, the Warriors are savoring his skill set. 

"He's a really talented dude - that type of 3-point range, the shot blocking, the length, the IQ," Kerr said. "He's got a great feel for the game. … Having both Kristaps and Al (Horford) as threats offensively really complements what we do with Steph and Dray."

Porzingis is understandably trying to focus on the present more than the future. He knows how diligently Curry worked to return this season, and he wants to see how far the Warriors can advance now that they're mostly healthy beyond Butler and Moody. 

But whenever they bow out - and it could happen as soon as Friday night - the focus will shift to 2026-27. Does Porzingis want to stick with Golden State? What type of impact could he make over a full season alongside Curry? What kind of contract will the Warriors offer? 

"I'm not gonna lie and say I haven't thought about it at all," Porzingis told the Chronicle in a March 31 interview. "I don't have anything cemented in my brain yet. My main goal was to get healthy first: play, show the team I'm healthy and everything's good."

This article originally published at Warriors' Steph Curry finally gets extended run with Kristaps Porzingis: ‘That's a good preview'.