A Quiet Week Is Exactly What Kerr Needs Right Now
One more preseason look at Portland, then five empty days before the real season starts — Golden State's week is built for answers, not drama.
The Warriors close the preseason tonight against the same Trail Blazers team that beat them on October 7, then go five days without a game before the regular-season opener at the Lakers on October 21. With Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis all out, the week is less about the scoreline than about who Steve Kerr trusts with the minutes those three usually take.
A Schedule Built for Patience
Tonight's rematch with Portland closes the preseason, but the calendar after it is almost empty. Golden State goes into the game on two days of rest, without a back-to-back, after two games in the last week; the next game after tonight doesn't come for five more days, when the regular season opens at the Lakers on October 21. Portland is on the road for a second straight game and also without a back-to-back, which makes tonight the last tune-up for both sides before anything counts.
Who's Not Here
Jimmy Butler remains out with the right knee injury that has sidelined him since before camp, with a return targeted for January 2. Moses Moody is out with a left knee injury that keeps him away until December 1. Kristaps Porzingis's absence has no such target — the issue is still undisclosed, and nothing new has surfaced since it first appeared. Horford and Green are both listed day-to-day for rest, with today as the day each was expected back.
Who's Getting the Run
With three rotation players out, the minutes are going somewhere. Gui Santos is averaging 29.6 minutes a night over his last ten games, 9.1 more than his season average, while Charles Bassey has picked up nine additional minutes a night over his last three outings. Neither sample is large enough to call a trend, but both are the clearest sign of how Kerr is filling the gaps left by Butler, Moody and Porzingis.
The Point of Tonight
Golden State already has the Lakers' measure this preseason, winning 101-89 in Las Vegas on October 13. That makes tonight less about Portland and more about readiness: who looks right at extended minutes, who needs rest preserved for October 21, and whether Horford and Green are full participants again before the games start mattering. The quiet week that follows gives Kerr time to decide, not just to wait.
Is the Warriors-Trail Blazers game on October 16 a regular-season game?
No. It's Golden State's last preseason game, a rematch of the October 7 contest Portland won 123-118. The regular season opens October 21 at the Lakers.
Who is out for the Warriors right now?
Jimmy Butler (right knee, targeted for a January 2 return) and Moses Moody (left knee, away until December 1) are both out, along with Kristaps Porzingis, whose undisclosed issue has no timeline. Al Horford and Draymond Green are day-to-day for rest.
