The Chicago Bulls matchup with the Golden State Warriors just got harder.
According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, Kristaps Porzingis is set to return to the court tonight at the Chase Center. The news comes in the wake of Porzingis missing 25 of his last 27 games. With that being the case, this will be only his 20th appearance of the 2025-26 season and just his third as a member of the Golden State Warriors
The Warriors shocked the NBA world when they made a rather bold deadline move to add the former All-Star big man. They opted to send Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks in the deal, seemingly hoping that Porzingis could play a bigger role in the postseason push. Nevertheless, he has continued to struggle with an illness and has thus appeared in only two games with his new team.
For what it's worth, his first outing with Golden State came against his former team, the Boston Celtics, on February 19. He clocked just over 17 minutes of action in the loss, recording 12 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist. Porzingis' next outing didn't come until roughly two weeks later, when he appeared in the Warriors' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 7. Playing 23 minutes this time out, he finished with 9 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and a block.
The plan for Golden State was to rest Porzingis for the frontend of their back-to-back on Monday before suiting him up this evening against Chicago, per Slate. They have now confirmed the big man is a go.
How Will Kristaps Porzingis' Return Impact the Bulls?
Kristaps Porzingis of the Warriors
Feb 19, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis (7) guards Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
First things first, the Golden State Warriors are still far from their normal self. Stephen Curry remains sidelined with a knee injury, while Jimmy Butler is out for the season with an ACL tear. Draymond Green is also at risk of sitting out another game, as he is questionable for tonight's meeting with a back issue.
These injuries make Porzingis' return that much more important for Golden State. He is likely to take on an immediately sizable workload offensively, as well as provide them with some much-needed relief defensively. The Warriors have been incredibly thin in the frontcourt all season long. As great as Draymond Green can be, Golden State's lack of size has led them to lean heavily on the less-experienced Quentin Post. Porzingis will offer a far more established two-way skillset,
Indeed, the Bulls were originally set to enter Tuesday's game with a possible advantage down low. Both Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards have played well in recent weeks, while Jalen Smith has put together a career year. Is that to say they would have dominated in the restricted area? Not necessarily, but this group did score 68 points in the paint just two games ago against the Suns' banged-up center rotation.
To be sure, there is no telling exactly how comfortable Porzingis will look. The big man is still getting comfortable with his new team – let alone trying to get into a rhythm for the first time all season. One also has to imagine that head coach Steve Kerr will continue to watch his minutes closely. But there is no question that he will be one of the most talented players on the court tonight, and he has both the size and versatility to give this Bulls team serious trouble.
Let's not forget that one of Porzingis' best games of the year has already come against Chicago. He dropped 27 points on the Bulls while shooting 11-17 from the field when the Hawks hosted the Bulls in October. Porzingis' final meeting with the Bulls in 2024-25 was also one of his strongest outings of the year, posting 34 points with 11 rebounds. Overall, he has averaged nearly 25.0 points a night against Billy Donovan over his last five games.
This may be a very different-looking Bulls roster, but there is something about playing Chicago that has worked in the big man's favor in recent years. Will that trend continue tonight?
P.S. I guess the good news is that tonight's gameshould be a win for the Bullsno matter the outcome!
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