The Golden State Warriors’ injury record is highly intriguing. A team that started the campaign as one of the contenders for the Championship is now in dire straits due to injury concerns. They have already lost Jimmy Butler for the season, with Stephen Curry also suffering from runner’s knee, and now head coach Steve Kerr has another primary concern.

On Sunday, just ahead of the game against the Denver Nuggets, the Dubs will miss the services of their newly traded star, Kristaps Porzingis, who just made his debut against the Boston Celtics. According to Steve Kerr, the Latvian was a late scratch due to illness. “He’s not even going to come over here. He’s pretty sick,” Steve Kerr said via Dalton Johnson. The concern is not only about the Nuggets, but also about the big man missing the upcoming two-game away trip.

This would have been Porzingis’ second game for the Warriors after he looked pretty decent in his debut against his former team, the Celtics. He recorded 12 points in 17 minutes, and it looked like he was ready for more minutes with the Warriors already shorthanded.

The 30-year-old center has been restricted to 18 games, and even after his trade to Bay Arena, the Warriors treaded with caution before eventually introducing him from the bench in their latest defeat against the Celtics away from home. Porzingis has been battling Achilles tendinitis and the lingering impact of a postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) diagnosis, a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. It is a serious issue that also limited his gametime during the Boston Celtics’ Championship run.

Ironically, Steve Kerr was already planning to increase Porzingis’ minutes following his performance against the Celtics and his recent outings in practice.

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Steve Kerr made a major decision about Kristaps Porzingis following Warriors’ debut

While the Warriors fell short by 121-110 to the Celtics in the previous game, the only silver lining from the game was Porzingis’ 17-minute stay on the court. And interestingly, the Latvian looked in good shape as he scored 12 points, finishing five out of his seven attempts from the field.

The Dubs desperately need a spark of inspiration, especially for the period Curry is out on the sidelines. So Steve Kerr probably felt that Porzingis could be the player to bring the team together, given his championship-winning experience with the Celtics. Therefore, Kerr was optimistic about amping up his minutes in the upcoming games.

“Kerr says Porzingis’ minutes will get bumped up a little more against the Nuggets. He also says Porzingis is feeling good and the training staff has cleared him to play a few more minutes. He was at 17 in his debut on Thursday,” The Athletic’s Nick Friedell revealed what Kerr said about Porzingis.

Barring the illness, the Latvian looks like a good acquisition for the Dubs. Apart from scoring 12 points, he also stepped up with his defense, registering a couple of blocks. When he is in full flow, he could demolish opponents on both ends with his scoring and defensive abilities in the paint. “Even tonight, I would’ve liked to go longer,” Porziņģis said after the game. “Even if I’m exhausted out there, I still want to push myself. Add a couple minutes next game, hopefully.”

Kerr hopes Porzingis recovers from the illness as soon as possible and gets on that plane for the two-game road trip, starting with New Orleans and then Memphis. The Dubs desperately need his experience and verticality, especially in Curry’s absence.

When will Warriors talisman Stephen Curry return to full fitness?

Amid all the issues the Warriors are facing, Stephen Curry’s absence from the court has been their most significant setback. He is suffering from a runner’s knee, and he missed five straight games ahead of the All-Star break. He didn’t even make the All-Star Game, and now he’s missed out on the game against the Celtics again.

For now, there’s no timeline for Curry’s return. He had an MRI after returning from the All-Star break, and it was revealed that he would be re-evaluated in 10 days. On Friday, the Chef told NBC Sports Bay Area, “I mean, it’s not going the way that I wanted it to, but I think we’re in the right direction of getting back out there as fast as possible.”

Meanwhile, the Warriors are currently eighth in the Western Conference before facing the Nuggets. They have won three out of their last eight games, which is a significant cause for concern.