Otto Porter has given the Warriors good minutes off the bench in the Western Conference finals.
He has made 10-of-13 shots (77%), specializing from mid-range. He has also helped on the glass and used his length to defend. Golden State has outscored the Mavericks by 19 in his 54 minutes.
But Golden State won’t have the reserve forward in Game 4 tonight.
Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area:Otto Porter Jr. officially has been ruled out with left foot soreness.
“He’s still sore,” Steve Kerr said Tuesday to reporters during Warriors shootaround. “We have to make the wise decision here. This gives him a couple of days to prepare for a possible Game 5, and we just don’t want to take a chance in terms of harming his future availability.”
Foot issues have plagued Porter, 28, over the years. It’s a reason Golden State got him so cheap.
Up 3-0 on Dallas, the Warriors can still advance without him. Jonathan Kuminga or Juan Toscano-Anderson can take a bigger role.
But Golden State would have less margin for error in the NBA Finals, which begin June 2. Win tonight, and the Warriors could get Porter plenty of time off to heal.
