On a night when all eyes were on the Chase Center for the much-anticipated debut of Kristaps Porzingis in a Golden State Warriors jersey, the Boston Celtics stole the show with a commanding 121-110 victory. The February 19, 2026 matchup was marked by the absence of Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, sidelined for his sixth straight game due to a lingering right knee injury. Without their two-time MVP, Golden State struggled to keep pace against a Celtics squad firing on all cylinders and led by a triple-double performance from Jaylen Brown.
Brown, who entered the contest as the Eastern Conference’s leading scorer before the All-Star break, delivered a stellar all-around game. He posted 23 points, 15 rebounds—all on the defensive glass—and a career-high 13 assists, notching his third triple-double of the season and the fifth of his career. As Brown set the tone, Payton Pritchard poured in 26 points and Sam Hauser added 16, helping Boston notch its seventh win in eight games. The Celtics’ offensive barrage left the Warriors scrambling, especially as they tried to integrate their newest addition, Porzingis, into the rotation.
Porzingis, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield, had not played since January 7 due to a left Achilles injury. After just one full practice with his new team, he came off the bench under a 15-20 minute restriction, ultimately logging 12 points in 17 minutes. The 7-foot-2 center showed flashes of his trademark skill set—spacing the floor and protecting the rim—but was clearly shaking off rust. "It’s never easy going to a new team, having one practice and playing," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "You can see his talent, his feel for the game, his ability to space the floor, protect the rim. It’s good to have him on our team, that’s for sure."
The Warriors’ game plan, heavily reliant on perimeter shooting, was apparent from the opening tip. No team in the NBA has attempted a higher percentage of shots from beyond the arc this season, and Golden State leaned even more heavily on the three-pointer in Curry’s absence. Of their 50 field goal attempts in the first half, 31 were from distance—an eye-popping 62 percent. Unfortunately for the home crowd, only 11 of those found the bottom of the net. The Warriors finished the night shooting 35.5 percent from deep in the first half, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Celtics’ efficient offense.
Boston’s game plan was simple: attack early and often. After a competitive first quarter, the Celtics broke things open with a 17-2 run to start the second, quickly building a 74-51 halftime lead. Brown, Pritchard, and Hauser were relentless, driving past Porzingis and exploiting defensive mismatches. "They put on a clinic those first three quarters," Kerr admitted. He described the Celtics as a "machine," while noting that his own team "were slow to get moving."
Despite the lopsided score, there were bright spots for Golden State. De’Anthony Melton led the Warriors with 18 points, while Will Richard and Gui Santos chipped in 17 apiece. The Warriors showed resilience in the fourth quarter, trimming the deficit to 111-99 after a Gary Payton II dunk, but Pritchard responded with consecutive three-pointers to snuff out any hopes of a comeback. Porzingis, meanwhile, scored his first points for the Warriors with a two-handed slam off an assist from former Celtics teammate Al Horford and later drained his first three-pointer in blue and gold. "From the first half to the second half, he just looked more comfortable," Kerr noted, highlighting Porzingis’ improved play as the game wore on.
Still, the Celtics’ dominance on the boards was glaring. Boston outrebounded Golden State 54-40, and the Warriors’ inability to control the glass made it nearly impossible to mount a sustained rally. The Warriors did manage 30 assists to just eight turnovers and grabbed eight offensive rebounds—numbers that usually bode well—but the Celtics’ efficiency and depth proved insurmountable.
The defeat dropped the Warriors’ record to 6-11 in games without Curry this season, underscoring just how vital he is to their playoff hopes. The 37-year-old guard, dealing with what the team has classified as “runner’s knee,” underwent another MRI within 24 hours of the game, which returned clean and showed no structural damage. However, Curry continues to experience pain and will be re-evaluated in 10 days. Coach Kerr provided some insight into Curry’s ongoing recovery, saying, "He came back today, and he just wasn’t quite feeling right. These guys know when they’re right and when they’re not, and he knew it wasn’t the right thing to go back into a full practice."
Curry’s absence will also have postseason implications, as he will fall short of the NBA’s 65-game minimum for postseason honors, ruling him out of All-NBA consideration for the first time since 2020. The Warriors are also missing Seth Curry, who remains sidelined with a sciatica issue and has been out for two months. As the team navigates the second half of the season, Kerr emphasized the importance of keeping the roster healthy and integrating Porzingis quickly to stay in the playoff hunt. "It’s rather critical," Kerr said with a chuckle when asked about Curry’s importance. "We have to have Steph if we expect to do anything. But we really feel strongly that Kristaps can help us and we can hold down the fort while we’re waiting on Steph."
For Porzingis, the debut was bittersweet—a chance to face his former team, with whom he won a championship in 2024, but under less-than-ideal circumstances. "Weird," Porzingis said of the experience. "If somebody said that while we’re in Boston that this was going to be the scenario, who would believe this? But this is how it works." Despite the rocky start, both Porzingis and the Warriors remain optimistic that better days are ahead as he finds his footing in the Bay Area.
The Celtics, meanwhile, continue to build momentum as they head to Los Angeles to face the Lakers on Sunday, while the Warriors will look to regroup and host the Denver Nuggets. With Curry’s status still up in the air, Golden State’s resilience will be tested as they try to stay afloat in a fiercely competitive Western Conference. But with Porzingis now in the fold and the team’s supporting cast stepping up, the Warriors hope to find their stride before their superstar returns to action.