Warriors notebook: Otto Porter Jr. injury update, Golden State weighs in on WCF matchup
SAN FRANCISCO — Otto Porter Jr. appears to be on track to be cleared to play at the start of the Western Conference finals after soreness in his foot sidelined him toward the end of the Warriors’ series against the Grizzlies.
Porter was a full participant in Monday’s practice at Chase Center and was spotted Monday afternoon shooting after some of his teammates had left the court.
“He looked good,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Just talked to him, he said he feels good.”
Porter is “probable” for Game 1 against the Mavericks on Wednesday night, Kerr said.
Porter has missed the last game and a half due to soreness in his right foot that flared up during the Warriors’ Game 5 blowout loss Wednesday night. He had slowly been working his way back from the injury, doing some light court activity, including agility exercises and shooting, but Monday was his first full practice.
Mike Brown, who served as the Warriors head coach in Kerr’s absence, recently said he wasn’t sure whether Porter’s foot discomfort was the result of one play in particular or the wear and tear of the postseason.
Porter has dealt with a series of injuries throughout his career, but the flare-up of soreness in his right foot appears to be a new issue. The last time he had an injury to his right foot was in 2018.
Porter and his aggressive rebounding had been key to the Warriors’ success in the first four games of the Western Conference semifinals series against the Grizzlies. He averaged 6.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in five games off the bench against Memphis.
Porter wasn’t able to contribute during Game 6 Friday night at Chase Center, but the Warriors managed to fend off the young Grizzlies to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time in three years.
The Warriors will host the Mavericks for the first two games, including Friday night’s Game 2. Then the series will move to Dallas for a pair of games, beginning with Sunday’s Game 3.
Warriors weigh in
Kerr wasn’t surprised to see the Mavericks obliterate the Suns by 33 points on Sunday and advance to the Western Conference finals.
“They’re a hell of a team,” Kerr said. “Dallas was really impressive, played a perfect game and they’ll come in here with a lot of confidence, I’m sure, for Game 1.”
Mavericks star Luka Doncic took over the seven-game series against the Suns, averaging 32.6 points, 9.9 rebounds, seven assists and 2.1 steals per game.
Golden State has already faced two tough defensive assignments in each of its first two rounds: league MVP Nikola Jokic and Memphis All-Star guard Ja Morant. Doncic is their next difficult matchup.
It seems no team has found a way to stop Doncic, so limiting the damage caused by Mavericks players around him, including Jalen Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, will be key.
“It’s a tough matchup,” Stephen Curry said. “We obviously know we have to be prepared on both ends, and we gotta be locked in on our game plan and understand that things could change as the series goes on. You’re in the Western Conference finals, you figure it out, try to protect home court like we’ve done so far this playoff run and get off to a good start.”
The Mavericks’ defense could be trouble for the Warriors, who have struggled with turnovers.
“They’re a really good defense, it’s an underrated aspect of all of us,” Kerr said. “You see the switch ability, the versatility they have defensively, the strength of guys … they’ve got a really good modern day defensive lineup that they can throw at you.”