SAN FRANCISCO — Otto Porter Jr.’s standing for Sport 6 of the Western Convention semifinals on Friday stays up within the air.
Porter is listed as questionable for the Warriors’ potential series-clinching recreation in opposition to the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Middle with proper foot soreness. Performing head coach Mike Brown mentioned he wasn’t certain whether or not the discomfort was the results of one play specifically or the wear and tear and tear of the postseason.
Brown mentioned Thursday that Porter was “effective,” although he wouldn’t tip his hand as as to if the Warriors ahead could be accessible for Sport 6.
Porter, who missed the second half of Wednesday’s blowout loss because of the ailment, did some court docket work Friday morning throughout Golden State’s shootaround, based on Brown. That exercise included agility workout routines and a few taking pictures.
“He went by way of some stuff on the market, however principally [we need] to see how he feels,” Brown mentioned. “It’s a type of issues the place it’s a wait and see what he says and what our medical staff says.”
Limiting the Grizzlies’ deadly transition offense and outrebounding the athletically inclined staff had been two huge keys for Golden State heading into the semifinals. Porter has been an important half to the staff’s success in these areas throughout this sequence, which the Warriors lead 3-2.
Porter, together with Andrew Wiggins, have mixed for 54 rebounds within the first 5 video games of the sequence, throughout which Golden State has outrebounded the Grizzlies 196-174. The Warriors have additionally outscored Memphis by 9 factors when Porter is on the court docket, by far the perfect mark by any of Golden State’s gamers.
“He’s in all probability been some of the vital gamers on this sequence,” heart Kevon Looney mentioned. “Each time he’s on the court docket, he makes a distinction, he makes an impression on either side of the court docket. He permits us to unlock a number of totally different lineups along with his dimension and his taking pictures. So not having him, if he’s not capable of play, it’s gonna be robust. However we reside by that power in numbers and subsequent man up [mentality.]”
Porter is averaging 6.2 factors and 4.6 rebounds off the bench within the sequence. He’s handled a sequence of accidents all through his profession, however the flare-up of soreness in his proper foot seems to be a brand new situation. The final time he had an damage to his proper foot was in 2018.
In the meantime, coach Steve Kerr stays within the league’s well being and security protocols after he examined constructive for COVID-19 simply hours earlier than Sport 4 and won't be at Friday’s recreation. It’s unclear when Kerr may return, although Brown mentioned he’ll function the Warriors’ head coach “till they inform me to not.”
And Andre Iguodala, who has been out since April 27 with a neck damage, was dominated out Thursday for at the very least one other week, successfully ending any hope he’ll return in time to play on this sequence. Accidents have restricted Iguodala, 38, to only 31 video games this season.
The neck damage stored him out for 2 of the Warriors’ 5 video games of their first-round sequence in opposition to the Denver Nuggets and all the semifinals. Nonetheless, he stays an vital voice on the sidelines, serving to younger gamers who're navigating their first NBA postseason.