Kuminga, a forward for the Golden State Warriors, experienced a setback just as he was hitting his stride, returning to the sidelines due to a sore left knee and a sprained left ankle suffered during a drive in the second quarter of a 123-115 defeat against the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday evening.
Although Kuminga stayed in the match for a short period, he left for the locker room prior to the intermission and did not rejoin play. He is currently managing a slight hyperextension of the knee, as per Anthony Slater of ESPN, who indicated that the ailment is not thought to be severe.
Kuminga’s recent injury took place in the Warriors’ second outing following the season-ending loss of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler III due to an ACL tear.
The void left by Butler created an opportunity for Kuminga to participate once more. Kuminga, chosen seventh overall by the Warriors in the 2021 draft, faced a contract disagreement during the previous offseason. Subsequently, he sought a trade last week after being confined to the Warriors’ substitute lineup.
Nevertheless, following 16 consecutive games where he did not play, Kuminga was solidly reinstated into the lineup. He achieved 20 points in 21 minutes on Tuesday during a defeat by the Toronto Raptors and was delivering another impressive display against the Mavericks (19-26), who are currently on a four-game winning streak.
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Kuminga entered the game with 5 minutes and 4 seconds remaining in the initial quarter, promptly sparking an 8-0 scoring spree for the Warriors, which he contributed to with two successful ‘and-1’ plays, first from a jump shot and then from a layup.
This rapid succession of points put Golden State (25-21) ahead. Steve Kerr’s squad bounced back after failing to score on their initial six attempts. Almost six minutes elapsed before any Warriors player other than Stephen Curry managed to convert a shot.
Indeed, Curry successfully made three out of his first four field goal attempts — all three successful shots were from long range, including one from 28 feet — while his fellow players started the game with zero made shots out of eight attempts.
This foreshadowed future events. Curry sank eight three-pointers. The remaining team members collectively achieved seven. Curry amassed 38 points. The sole other Warriors player to exceed 12 points was De’Anthony Melton, who contributed 22 points.
Dallas, conversely, witnessed four of its players accumulate a minimum of 19 points, particularly Naji Marshall, who distinguished himself with 30 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds. Cooper Flagg secured 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Although the Warriors commenced the second quarter with a lead, they encountered further difficulties with their shooting. They ultimately concluded the first half with a meager 34.7% field goal success rate. Their performance from beyond the arc in the first two quarters saw them make just 6 out of 25 attempts.
Flagg, having collected nine rebounds in the first half, truly asserted himself in the second quarter. He executed a putback dunk after Klay Thompson missed a three-pointer. Furthermore, he nullified a Draymond Green block by securing an offensive rebound and sinking a follow-up basket close to the hoop. Shortly thereafter, he delivered a pass to Thompson for a three-point shot. Dallas significantly outperformed their opponents in second-chance points, holding a 24-5 advantage.
Kuminga’s last notable play prior to his premature departure was a one-handed alley-oop dunk that he forcefully completed.
Partially aided by two three-pointers from Max Christie, the Mavericks transformed a four-point disadvantage into a five-point lead by halftime. The guard, in his fourth year, concluded his performance with 21 points and a 5-for-12 success rate from long range.
Golden State regained its shooting touch following the break. It was beneficial that Curry exploded for 13 of the squad’s 39 points in the third quarter, a period the Warriors concluded by surpassing the Mavericks 17-7 in scoring.
However, their inconsistent offensive performance ultimately harmed them.
They endured over two and a half minutes without scoring any points in the latter portion of the fourth quarter. Concurrently, Dallas racked up 11 consecutive points, and Green incurred two fouls, one of which was a flagrant 1. Green was eventually disqualified with 3 minutes and 50 seconds left, having contributed only 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.
A few moments prior, Mavericks center Dwight Powell completed an ‘and-1’ play even after fumbling a pass from Marshall, who capped off the scoring run by driving through the lane for a layup.
Curry broke Golden State’s scoring drought by sinking another three-pointer. He just lacked sufficient support on Thursday, nonetheless.
The Warriors felt the absence of Butler, and eventually Kuminga too.
Kerr informed journalists that Kuminga is scheduled for an MRI examination on Friday.
