Al Horford's push for a late return to the Golden State Warriors is set to come to fruition, with he and fellow former Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis primed to rejoin the team just as the regular season draws to a close.
Horford has been out for nearly a month since leaving the March 13 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a calf strain, but Steve Kerr and the Warriors are hopeful of the 39-year-old being available on Friday in Sacramento after 13-straight games out of the lineup.
Warriors set for timely reinforcement in Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis
Kerr confirmed prior to Thursday's home game against the Los Angeles Lakers that Horford had scrimmaged in the previous 24 hours, offering hope that the 5x All-Star will still be able to make an impact as the Warriors prepare for next week's Play-In Tournament.
Porzingis, meanwhile, missed Tuesday's win over the Sacramento Kings and has been ruled out of Thursday's matchup with the Lakers, having previously fouled out early in the fourth-quarter of Sunday's loss to the Houston Rockets.
Porzingis and Horford are set to rejoin a managed Stephen Curry, giving three of Golden State's most important players a brief opportunity to acclimatize together before they sink their teeth into the Play-In and the hope of an unlikely playoff run.
Warriors are hopeful Steph Curry, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford all play tomorrow night in Sacramento, giving them two games of data/reps to gear up for next Wednesday’s play-in elimination game. Horford scrimmaged yesterday.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 10, 2026
Curry and Horford haven't played together since the former limped off the floor against the Detroit Pistons on January 30, while Curry and Porzingis only managed eight minutes in their first game together on Sunday.
Horford and Porzingis have played just 18 minutes together since the latter was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks prior to February's trade deadline, but they do have familiarity from their two years as teammates at the Celtics that included the 2024 NBA championship.
Warriors given short runway to ramp up for Play-In Tournament
Injuries have completely decimated Golden State's second-half of the season, forcing them down to the 10th-seed in the Western Conference and now in need of two road elimination wins to reach the playoffs.
The Warriors will now get the last two regular season games to bring their rotation together, albeit without two key starters in Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody who've already suffered season-ending knee injuries.
Horford was one of Golden State's best and most important players between Christmas and his injury last month, while Porzingis has averaged 16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in his 13 games with the franchise to date.