Warriors to Start Otto Porter Jr. and List Gary Payton II as Day-to-Day

The Golden State Warriors will make a small tweak to their starting lineup as they take on the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will be adding a slight wrinkle to his starting lineup.

As the Golden State Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena Saturday night, Otto Porter Jr. will join the starting lineup. Golden State is on a three-game losing streak as they hope to turn the tide in the final two games of their four-game road trip.

Aside from Porter Jr., the Warriors will keep their starting lineup the same as Thursday with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins starting for tipoff.

Porter Jr. Will replace Gary Payton II, who has been listed as “day-to-day” by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. According to Kerr, Payton “took a shot” to the knee in Golden State’s 129-114 loss to the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night.

While an MRI did not show any structural damage, Payton will miss his first game since Jan. 16. Payton II has started the last five games for the Warriors, averaging 10.4 points per game in just under 24 minutes of play per game.

Payton II has also served as one of Golden State’s best defenders. In his last five games, the son of Oakland native and Seattle Supersonics legend Gary Payton has averaged nearly 2.5 steals per game — including a six-steal performance against the Denver Nuggets.

As for Porter Jr., his last start for the Warriors came on Feb. 9 as Golden State lost by 26 points to the Utah Jazz on the road which remains the team’s largest margin of defeat for the season.

The decision to start the former Orlando Magic forward, in part, comes from the Warriors’ need for size. Taking on the Lakers, who utilize a 6-foot-9 LeBron James as well as Anthony Davis, who stands 6-foot-10 and served as a stingy rim protector, the Warriors will need all the size they can get to fend off the tall task.