There's mixed news for the Golden State Warriors ahead of Thursday's season resumption against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center, with superstar guard Stephen Curry remaining sidelined by a knee injury.
On the positive side, Kristaps Porzingis is likely to make his debut for the franchise after his arrival via trade earlier this month, though there's no complete guarantee of the veteran center facing his former team.
Mixed news for Warriors on the injury front
Golden State will continue their push for the playoffs despite the loss of Jimmy Butler to a season-ending knee injury, while Boston have been one of the surprises of the season in sitting second in the Eastern Conference at a 35-19 record despite the absence of superstar forward Jayson Tatum.
Thursday's meeting between the two sides may not only see Porzingis come up against his former team, but so too championship teammate Al Horford who will play against the Celtics for the first time since departing to join the Warriors in free agency.
Warriors injury report
Curry didn't practice on Wednesday and has been listed as out as Golden State maintain a cautious approach with the nearly 38-year-old. Thursday's game will be the sixth Curry has missed in a row since being diagnosed with runner's knee, with the Warriors 2-3 in the first five outings.
Porzingis did practice and has been listed as questionable after sitting out three games between his arrival and the All-Star break, but the 30-year-old did sound ready to go when speaking to the media late on Wednesday.
Kristaps Porzingis said he’s “back at it” tomorrow vs Celtics. Team listing him as questionable so he didn’t want to say for certain, but it’s clear he plans to make his Warriors debut.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 19, 2026
“Feeling good. Ready to go.” pic.twitter.com/jublgRUcoZ
Along with Stephen Curry, younger brother Seth remains out after the Warriors provided an update on the veteran sharpshooter on Wednesday, stating that the 35-year-old will be re-evaluated again in two weeks after having already missed 32-straight games with a sciatic injury.
Celtics injury report
After tearing his achilles in last year's playoffs, Tatum is ramping up for a late season return but remains out for the time being. It's otherwise a clean injury report for Boston who are suddenly looking like a legitimate contender if Tatum can comeback healthy and reach anywhere near the vicinity of his best.
The Celtics won six of their seven games prior to the All-Star break, with the only loss coming on the road to the New York Knicks. Despite being without Tatum, Boston remarkably holds the second-ranked offense in the league, only behind the Denver Nuggets.
Curry's absence makes the Celtics favorites for Thursday's matchup, but a win remains ultra important for the Warriors who sit 2.5 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers and L.A. Clippers as the eighth-seed in the Western Conference.