Injuries are mounting as Game 6 approaches
The cavalry isn’t arriving anytime soon.
On Thursday, the Golden State Warriors announced that forward Otto Porter Jr. is listed as questionable for Friday’s Game 6. Forward Andre Iguodala is out for the remainder of the series with Memphis. Head coach Steve Kerr remains sidelined with COVID and is expected to miss his third straight game, meaning Mike Brown would be the acting head coach again Friday at Chase Center.
Porter, Jr., who was instrumental in the Warriors’ Game 4 victory, played 12 minutes in the first half in Game 5 but was ruled out in the second half with a foot injury. Brown sounded optimistic about Porter’s return, though it was difficult to make an assessment on a travel day.
“I think he’s fine,” Brown said. “We didn’t do anything today. We just flew back.”
If Porter isn’t able to play, it further shortens the Warriors’ bench. Iguodala, who is out with a neck injury, has not played since Game 4 against Denver. He will be re-evaluated next week. And of course, Gary Payton II is out for at least the remainder of the month if not longer with an elbow fracture.
Morant-less Grizzlies: With the victory in Game 5, the Grizzlies are 21-7 without Ja Morant (20-5 in the regular season).
Brown says the main difference without Morant is Memphis’ size. Inserting 6-foot-11 Steven Adams into the lineup makes a huge difference defensively.
“They’re much bigger and there aren’t as many lanes to get to the rim,” Brown said. “Their length is second to none in the league, their ability to get hands in passing lanes. It makes it harder to box out.”
But it’s not just on defense where the Grizzlies are a different team.
“When Ja was playing, he was a heavy focus on what they did offensively, and now the ball is in a lot of different people’s hands and they’re attacking from different angles,” Brown said. “You have to go in knowing how to defend multiple actions as opposed to just trying to sit on Ja’s pick-androll and driving ability.”
Poole stymied: One of the players most impacted by the bigger Grizzlies has been Jordan Poole. After 31, 20 and 27 points in the first three games, Poole has been limited in the past two: 14 points in Game 4 and three on 1-for-6 shooting in Game 5.
“We want him to be aggressive and play free and confident,” Brown said. “Right now, it’s tough because part of J.P.’s game is his ability to get to the rim, his quickness. With the way they’re clogging the paint, it’s been a little tough for him to get down there and finish"