Kristaps Porzingis' debut with the Golden State Warriors hardly went according to plan through three-quarters, but the hosts did at least rally in the final period to make things slightly interesting in a 121-110 defeat to the Boston Celtics at Chase Center.
There was plenty to take from Porzingis' first game with his new team. While the veteran center played only 17 minutes, it was evident what he'll bring to the Warriors, and what deficiencies the franchise will also have to cover for.
It only took one game for Kristaps Porzingis to show what he'll provide Warriors
Porzingis had a dunk and drilled a three in his seven and a half minutes during the first-half, but his slow-footed nature on defense proved problematic as the Celtics got countless wide open threes in what resulted as a 74-51 scoreline.
Golden State trailed by as much as 34 in the third-quarter, but Porzingis helped them rally in the fourth with some significant two-way impact. The former All-Star drilled another deep 3-pointer, took advantage of a couple mismatches in the post, and showed his rim-protecting ability as the Warriors burst back into the game.
The remarkable comeback wasn't to be as the Celtics steadied, but it was at least something to take from what had been a disaster through three periods. Porzingis finished with 12 points, one rebound, one assist and one block in his limited minutes, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor and 2-of-5 from 3-point range.
The 30-year-old will undoubtedly prefer playing minutes against a more traditional center, having been exploited at times when asked to close out to Boston's shooters in the first-half. Offensively though, you could see why Porzingis could easily become Golden State's second-leading scorer once his minutes restriction is bumped.
Playing without Stephen Curry for a sixth-straight game, the Warriors were again forced to do it by committee. De'Anthony Melton led the way with a team-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while youngsters Will Richard (17 points and five rebounds) and Gui Santos (17 points, six rebounds and two steals) were also positives from the 11-point defeat.
Golden State just couldn't stop the visitors until they drastically increased their pressure in the fourth, with Boston shooting 51.6% from the floor and 42.5% from 3-point range. Payton Pritchard had 26 points, six rebounds and seven assists off the bench for the Celtics, while star forward Jaylen Brown notched a triple-double with a huge 23 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists.
The Warriors now fall to only two games above .500 on the season, and will face another significant challenge when they host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.