The Warriors rolled into their NBA Cup matchup against the Blazers, hoping for a little celebration magic. Chase Center was packed, legends were in the building, and Stephen Curry was finally back to steady the ship after two straight losses. But that meant absolutely nothing. Because the Blazers came in all business and walked out with a 127–123 win, bumping themselves to 7–9 and giving Warriors fans yet another night of ‘why do we do this to ourselves?’ And at the center of it all? The same old “smaller-ball” gamble. 

But the real eyebrow-raiser of the night wasn’t the loss; it was Al Horford suddenly vanishing from the fourth-quarter rotation like someone yanked him out of the script. Postgame, Steve Kerr tried to piece it together, saying, “He was unavailable. I don’t know exactly what happened… came to me late third, saying Al is out.” Even ESPN’s Anthony Slater jumped in to confirm the mystery, reporting, “Al Horford left tonight’s game with right hamstring tightness, per Warriors. Didn’t play in the fourth quarter. Considered day-to-day for now.”

Al Horford’s been navigating a bit of a bumpy patch lately. After sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the Heat, part of a back-to-back grind, due to a minor left toe injury, he stepped back onto the court only to briefly deal with a hamstring scare. This season, Horford has been a dependable presence off the bench, quietly putting up 5.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists across 11 games.

The Warriors may be having a case of buyer’s remorse with Horford. After leaving the Celtics following seven seasons spread across his career, Horford signed a two-year, $12 million deal with Golden State this offseason, presumably to fill the void left by Kevon Looney heading to New Orleans. The expectation? A steady, veteran presence capable of leading the frontcourt. The reality? Horford has spent all 11 appearances coming off the bench, and the numbers show he’s far from the star the Warriors were hoping for.

Take tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, for instance. In 18 minutes, Horford managed 7 points on 2-of-5 shooting, snagged 6 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, added 2 steals and a block, solid for a bench cameo, but hardly the game-changing. His +/- of -5 also tells the story: the team isn’t exactly humming when he’s on the floor.

Comparatively, his Celtics run last season was more productive, with 9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, a noticeable drop-off in production at 39. Shooting percentages haven’t helped Horford’s case either. He’s connecting on just 33.8% of his field goals and 31.9% from beyond the arc this season, down from 42.3% and 36.3%, respectively, with Boston.

The good news? Horford’s shot has been trending upward recently, and Steve Kerr clearly trusts him to give steady minutes off the bench. The challenge is simple: the Warriors need more than “solid” from their 39-year-old center if they want to contend in a stacked Western Conference. If Horford can’t find that spark, Golden State might soon be looking for yet another solution to patch the frontcourt.

Maybe someone of a bigger size!

Warriors faces similar issue of size in the paint

The Warriors’ matchup against the Blazers on Friday night turned into a small-size nightmare. Portland crashed the boards with authority, pulling down 21 offensive rebounds to Golden State’s nine, creating a mountain of second-chance points, 28 in total, 18 more than the Warriors managed.

Postgame, Steve Kerr wasn’t hiding behind excuses, saying, “Yeah, that’s the game, you know a lot of them turned into threes, a couple of Caleb Love’s threes were offensive. There’s 28 to 10 second chance points. So that’s the game. They’re an athletic team even missing a couple of guys. They’re super athletic. They crash, put a lot of pressure on us. And yeah, that was a difference.” Love, the undrafted guard who had barely made a splash in the league, exploded for a career-high 26 points, including a pair of clutch threes in the final 90 seconds that sank the Warriors’ hopes.

Golden State tried to ride their usual small-ball approach, hoping speed and shooting could compensate for size. Curry was spectacular: 38 points on 14-of-23 shooting, 9-of-17 from deep and Podziemski added 20 more from the bench. Jimmy Butler chipped in 20 points with eight rebounds.

On paper, it looks solid. But the Blazers’ athleticism and size, especially on the offensive glass, exposed cracks in the Warriors’ armor. Quinten Post and Al Horford combined for 35 minutes and shot just 1-of-8 from three, a telling sign that small-ball only works if everyone else can compensate. 

Even with this humbling loss, Kerr might still be clinging to the promise of the season’s start. Through the first five games, Golden State was 4-1, facing tougher playoff-caliber teams than in the previous season. Maybe that early success has him sticking to the system, hoping size disadvantages can be offset with shooting and pace.