It was Stephen Curry who once again stole the show on Wednesday against the L.A. Clippers, but the Golden State Warriors equally don't claim a thrilling 126-121 victory without the performance from Kristaps Porzingis.
The mid-season trade acquisition produced his most important display in a Warrior jersey. In doing so, it's become clear the front office is backed into a corner to some degree given they can't possibly lose the veteran center.
Kristaps Porzingis backs Warriors into a corner with big Play-In game
Porzingis displayed all the qualities that earned him the nickname 'The Unicorn'. He flew in for a pair of put-back dunks in the first-half, bombed away from distance in going 3-of-6 from 3-point range, and added a pair of blocks in his nearly 28 minutes.
The 30-year-old finished with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and those aforementioned two blocks, shooting a highly efficient 8-of-12 from the floor which included some big baskets to keep Golden State close when the Clippers were threatening to land a knockout punch.
On the back of a performance like that and the fact Porzingis has remained relatively healthy over the past six weeks, the Warriors face some pressure to re-sign the former All-Star as he prepares to enter unrestricted free agency.
Considering they gave up former seventh overall pick Jonathan Kuminga in order to acquire Porzingis at the deadline, there's already some onus on the front office to prove that move wasn't simply a salary dump.
Yet the more important question now is how Golden State would replace Porzingis if they were to lose him in free agency? For all the injury/health concerns that are associated with the 30-year-old, there aren't many 7'2" big men out there who can stretch the floor effectively.
Kristaps Porzingis continues to prove Warriors need him going forward
In just their fourth game together, Wednesday proved was the first time we've truly seen Curry and Porzingis deliver big performances in the same game. The pair combined for multiple buckets, demonstrating the two-man game that always appeared difficult to stop in theory, but wasn't fully on display until this postseason game.
Throw Jimmy Butler into the mix and the Warriors could have really had something if not for injuries. While there's no guarantee the core rotation is healthy and available next season, Porzingis has already proven enough to suggest that it needs to be given the opportunity, rather than letting him walk before Butler even returns from injury.
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