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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 31: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the first half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on December 31, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors needed Tuesday night to go differently. Back home at Chase Center after six days on the road, they had a chance to right the ship against a Chicago Bulls team sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings. Instead, they blew an eight-point lead in the final 90 seconds and fell 130-124 in overtime. Two losses in two nights against teams nowhere near playoff contention.
The defeat dropped Golden State to 32-33, below .500 for the first time since mid-December. The Warriors are ninth in the Western Conference, half a game behind the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers with the play-in picture tightening by the day.
Through all of it, one question keeps coming back. When does Stephen Curry return?
Porzingis Opens Up About What Curry Would Mean
Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors
GettyStephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors.
After the loss to Chicago, Kristaps Porzingis didn’t shy away from the subject.
“I want to play with Steph. Who doesn’t?” Porzingis said. “I know he’s doing everything he can to be back with us as soon as possible. And obviously, it’s a completely different team with him, so hopefully I get that chance soon.”
It was a measured response from someone who understands the situation better than most. Porzingis was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline specifically to play alongside Curry. The pairing has not happened yet. Curry has been sidelined since late January with patellofemoral pain syndrome in his right knee, and the timetable for his return remains unclear.
The frustration is understandable. So is the belief. Draymond Green revealed recently that Curry has been texting the locker room throughout his absence, telling teammates “Keep going. I know it’s tough, but promise you, I’m coming back.” The message has landed. His teammates are holding on, waiting for the moment the roster finally gets a chance to show what it can do.
Kristaps Porzingis is hopeful to get a chance to play with Steph Curry soon:
“I want to play with Steph. Who doesn’t? I know he’s doing everything he can to be back with us as soon as possible. And obviously, it’s a completely different team with him, so hopefully I get that… pic.twitter.com/zkf3tFpaPP
— aly ✶ (@jinthirty) March 11, 2026
What Porzingis Showed the Warriors Against Chicago
Kristaps Porzingis, Warriors
GettyKristaps Porzingis of the Golden State Warriors.
Tuesday was Porzingis’ third appearance in a Warriors uniform and his second in four days, a milestone in itself. The last time he played two games that close together was before Thanksgiving.
He finished with 17 points in 20 minutes off the bench, shooting 5-of-13 from the field and 2-of-6 from three. Four rebounds, two assists, plus-4. The production was meaningful. The conditioning work continues.
There are still moments where the movements are tentative, where you can see the rust. He spent much of the night working the perimeter, which partly reflects where his conditioning is right now. But what Porzingis brings, the size, the shooting gravity, the ability to create mismatches, was visible throughout. Green has already articulated what changes when Curry enters the equation. Defenders will have to account for two people coming off him, which opens up everything Porzingis does in the post.
The bench as a whole delivered on Tuesday. LJ Cryer, Pat Spencer, Gui Santos and Porzingis each scored 17 points, with the second unit outscoring Chicago’s reserves by 28. That depth is real. It still wasn’t enough.
Why the Steph Question Matters for the Warriors Right Now
Golden State has 19 games remaining. The margin for error is gone.
The Warriors rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter Tuesday and looked like they had stolen the game before the final minutes unraveled. That kind of resilience means something. So does the fact that they keep finding themselves in these situations shorthanded, grinding with a roster that was never meant to carry this load alone.
Jimmy Butler is done for the season with an ACL injury. Curry remains out. Al Horford, Gary Payton II and the rest have given everything they have. The belief and determination in this locker room is not in question. The depth, though, has its limits. Curry was hopeful about a return before April’s postseason. If that holds, Golden State gets the version of this roster they actually built, for however many games remain.
Porzingis knows what that means. He has been through enough in his career to understand that healthy windows do not last forever. He wants to be out there with Curry, in a Warriors uniform, doing the thing they were brought together to do.
Final Word for the Warriors
Two losses in two nights against teams with nothing to play for. Golden State will wake up to Wednesday morning knowing they cannot afford many more of those.
The belief is there. The determination is there. Porzingis is getting better with each game, and the bench is overperforming expectations night after night.
But without Curry, this team is not what it could be. The Warriors know it. Porzingis said it plainly.
Hopefully, the wait is almost over.