Kristaps Porzingis made his Golden State Warriors debut on Thursday night, but it wasn't the sparkling performance fans might have expected. Despite being rusty, Porzingis provided a spark with his 12-point performance, even though the Warriors lost to the Boston Celtics. This was Porzingis' 18th game of the season, and his first since January 7th, when he was with the Atlanta Hawks. The Warriors were cautious with his return, bringing him off the bench and limiting his playing time to 17 minutes. Porzingis struggled in the first half, missing his first two shots and struggling to keep up with the Celtics' offense. However, he rallied in the second half, hitting two long 3s and having a pair of successful post-ups, finishing with 12 points. The Warriors outscored the Celtics by 15 points with Porzingis on the court in the second half. Porzingis is eager to increase his playing time, but he knows he has to take it step by step. The Warriors are without their two best players, Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry, and need Porzingis to gain a rhythm and gear up rapidly for a needed offensive boost. Will Porzingis be able to step up and lead the Warriors to victory? The Warriors face the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, and fans will be watching closely to see if Porzingis can make a difference.
