Porzingis Clears the Report, Warriors Host a Shorthanded Lakers

0:04The host: Last show we closed with two asks: watch Porziņģis's minutes, and see if Santos's bump was real. One of those just answered itself before we even got a box score.

0:15The analyst: Porziņģis isn't on the injury report anymore. Butler and Moody, yes. Porziņģis, no. Whatever that health issue was in September, it's not stopping him tonight.

0:25The host: So scratch that storyline.

0:27The analyst: Scratch it. The number I want tonight is Charles Bassey's minutes, up 9 a night over his last 3 games, with a teammate out.

0:35The host: Which teammate?

0:36The analyst: It doesn't say directly, but line it up. Porziņģis was out through camp. Bassey filled that center minutes. Porziņģis is back on the floor tonight. We'll see if those 9 extra minutes survive that.

0:48The host: Bassey had 12 points against the Clippers Saturday. That's not nothing.

0:53The analyst: It's 3 games. Small sample. It tells you the role existed, not that it survives a healthy Porziņģis.

1:01The host: Fine. Give me the verdict. What is this team right now?

1:05The analyst: 37-45 last year. Net rating of -0.5, offensive rating 113.8, defensive rating 114.4, pace 100.0. Replacement level, across the board.

1:21The host: That's bleak for a preseason opener.

1:24The analyst: It's not opinion, it's the ledger. Payroll's $223.3 million. Second apron's $221.7 million. They're over the line, not under it, with no clean way back short of trading someone away.

1:40The host: Curry's 38. Butler's 37. Green's 36. That's an old, expensive team no matter what the ledger says.

1:48The analyst: Which is exactly why health is the whole bet. What changes my mind: Porziņģis healthy for most of the season instead of the 32 games he played last year, or Podziemski and Moody turning into real scoring without Butler on the floor.

2:03The host: Butler's out again tonight. Knee, return date's January 2.

2:08The analyst: Right. So tonight's actually a test case for exactly that.

2:12The host: I'll take that. Narrowed verdict: tonight tells us about the no-Butler offense, not the whole season.

2:19The analyst: Accepted.

2:20The host: Lakers walk in tired tonight, though. Zero rest, second night of a back-to-back, 2 straight road games.

2:26The analyst: And banged up. Reaves is day-to-day with an ankle, Sexton's day-to-day with a lower body, Kessler's day-to-day with a finger.

2:35The host: Reaves was their second option last year, 23.3 points a game. If he's limited, who scores for them?

2:42The analyst: Grimes, probably, 13.4 points a game last season. Sexton was their third scorer at 15.4, and he's day-to-day too.

2:51The host: So it's Dončić and whoever's left standing.

2:54The analyst: And if Kessler sits, their only real center is gone. Horford, Bassey and Porziņģis all have a path to minutes against nobody at the five.

3:03The host: Luka Dončić is still Luka Dončić. 33.5 points a game last season.

3:08The analyst: Sure, but he can't guard the paint alone on the second night of a back-to-back.

3:14The host: Warriors got a full day of rest before this one. Lakers got none.

3:18The analyst: Don't oversell that either. We play again tomorrow night, at Portland.

3:23The host: Right, one day off and then straight to Portland. Kerr's not running anybody into the ground tonight just because the schedule favors us.

3:30The analyst: One rest day doesn't prove much on its own. It's the matchup underneath it, Kessler's finger, that actually moves minutes tonight.

3:38The host: Noted. Saturday was the opener, lost 101-104 at the Clippers. Bassey's 12, Williams' 11 kept it from getting ugly.

3:47The analyst: Same group that leaned on bench scoring in a loss gets a Lakers front line that might be down to nobody at center. That's the matchup, right there.

3:56The host: Tips off tonight at Chase Center, NBA TV has it.

4:00The analyst: Both Horford and Bassey should see real run either way, with Porziņģis back and Kessler questionable.

4:06The host: Nothing new from the beat today. Latest report's still yesterday's rosters piece.

4:11The analyst: So nothing to attribute. We're clean there.

4:14The host: Watch Bassey's minutes tonight. If that bump from camp holds with Porziņģis back on the floor, it's a real rotation spot, not a fill-in number.

4:23The analyst: That's the number I want back here next time, Bassey's minutes, final column, next to whatever Porziņģis logs.

4:30The host: Section's live all season at Hoops Nightly, on the Warriors page. See you after the horn.