On the verge of a Western Conference finals sweep of the Mavericks, the Warriors will be without a key bench contributor in Game 4.
During an afternoon press conference, Steve Kerr announced forward Otto Porter Jr. will miss Tuesday’s Game 4. Porter, who was previously considered “doubtful” to play, is dealing with soreness in his right foot. Kerr explained that he doesn’t want to rush a return at this point of the playoffs.
“He’s still sore. Gotta make the wise decision here,” the Warriors coach said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “This gives him a couple of days to prepare for a possible Game 5.”
Porter left midway through the second quarter of Game 3 on Sunday. The team described the injury as left foot soreness and X-rays on his right foot came back negative.
The 28-year-old forward appeared to sustain the injury after going up for a layup. When he landed, he came up hobbling and was later seen fidgeting with his foot at the next stoppage. He attempted to continue playing through the discomfort but called for a sub a few moments later.
He did not return to the game, ending the contest with two points and one rebound in seven minutes played.
The Warriors managed just fine without Porter. Behind 31 points from Stephen Curry and a heroic two-way performance from Andrew Wiggins, Golden State secured a 109–100 victory in Dallas. The win gave the Warriors a 3–0 advantage in the series.
Now just one win away from their sixth NBA Finals appearance in eight years, the Warriors will try to close out the Mavs on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
