What we learned as Kuminga powers Warriors’ comeback win vs. Suns

What we learned as Kuminga powers Warriors’ comeback win vs. Suns originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO – A star has been born in the Bay Area, or so has been the story the last two Warriors games.

Jonathan Kuminga’s ascension has risen to the kind of NBA All-Star potential the Warriors dreamed of when they selected him with the seventh pick in the 2021 draft. Kuminga’s two free throws with 29 seconds left gave the Warriors a one-point lead, ultimately leading to their 109-105 victory against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at the Chase Center.

With the win, the Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak and are back above .500 at 16-15 in the 2024-25 NBA season.

Kuminga scored a game-high 34 points, matching his career high that he scored the previous night. The 22-year-old forward was unstoppable at the rim, going 12 of 20 from the field and 8 of 12 at the free throw line. His sensational performance made him the first Warriors player to score 30 consecutive points off the bench since Cazzie Russell in 1974.

Kuminga also had nine rebounds, falling one rebound short of his second straight double-double.

Second to Kuminga, Steph Curry scored 22 points and also added six rebounds and six assists. The Warriors superstar was a game-high plus-20 in 35 minutes.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ huge comeback win in front of their home crowd.

What No Nurkić Meant

After finding himself in the middle of the closest thing to an actual game in the NBA the previous night, Suns starting center Jusuf Nurkić began serving his three-game suspension Saturday night, meaning he would not be on the floor against the Warriors. It changed things in a positive way for coach Steve Kerr’s combinations.

It was clear after the game’s first timeout. In came Buddy Hield and Kuminga, pushing Dennis Schröder and Trayce Jackson-Davis to the bench. With Nurkić unavailable, Kerr was able to use Draymond Green at center more and pair him next to Kuminga in the frontcourt. In just under three minutes, the group of Curry, Hield, Andrew Wiggins, Kuminga and Green was a plus-9 and outscored the Suns 12-3.

Kerr used seven combinations, with Green at center and Kuminga playing power forward; five had a positive plus/minus and only one was negative. Kuminga was able to attack downhill for the second game in a row and was a force to be reckoned with.

Plus, Jackson-Davis continued to be very impactful, finishing with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double and tying his career high with four blocks. The second-year pro has hit a switch and become the game-changing presence he was near the end of last season when he joined the starting lineup.

Draymond finds his offense

One of the better success stories early this season, when the Warriors were rolling, was that Green was a scoring option, especially from 3-point range. But he has cooled off considerably lately.

After scoring 21 points and going 5 of 9 from three on Dec. 15 against the Dallas Mavericks, Green entered the night having scored a total of seven points and made just two of his 11 3-point attempts during his last three games. Maybe a night off was exactly what he needed.

Green sat the first night of a back-to-back in The Warriors’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippersbut in the second quarter on Saturday night he found his shot. In the second quarter alone, Green scored 14 points and went a perfect 3 of 3 from behind the 3-point line. That gave him 16 points at halftime, his most points in any half this season.

Although Green didn’t score again in the second half, his 16 points in the first half kept the Warriors in the game. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists.

Another dud from this trio

In the Warriors’ loss Friday night against the Clippers without Curry and Green, Hield, Schröder and Andrew Wiggins laid an egg offensively. Schröder scored seven points and Hield and Wiggins each added five points. All in the starting lineup, the trio combined for 17 points on 7-of-30 shooting (23.3 percent) and went 2 of 15 on threes (13.3 percent).

Somehow they were just as bad the next night.

Hield took seven shots, all 3-pointers, and missed all seven. It was his first scoreless night this season. Wiggins had seven points on a lowly 3-of-12 shooting and was 1 of 6 on 3-pointers. Schröder’s 11 points was his second double-digit scoring night in his sixth game as a Warrior, going 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from long range.

However, Schröder saved his best for last, scoring seven points in the fourth quarter. His 3-pointer at the 1:23 mark of the fourth quarter gave the Warriors a 104-103 lead after missing his first six attempts from 3-point range.

It might just be the exact shot Schröder needs to find his groove in a Warriors jersey.

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