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

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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, or so that has been the story the last two Warriors games.

Jonathan Kuminga’s ascension has skyrocketed 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 remaining gave the Warriors a one-point lead, ultimately leading to their 109-105 win against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday at Chase Center.

With the win, the Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak and are back to over .500 at 16-15 on 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 couldn’t be stopped at the rim, going 12 of 20 from the field and was 8 of 12 at the free-throw line. His sensational performance made him the first Warriors player to have consecutive 30-point games off the bench since Cazzie Russell in 1974.

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

Steph Curry was second behind Kuminga, scoring 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 fight in the NBA the previous night, Suns starting center Jusuf Nurkić began serving his three-game suspension Saturday night, meaning he wouldn’t be on the floor against the Warriors. That changed things in a positive way for coach Steve Kerr’s combinations, too.

That became clear after the first timeout of the game. 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 a little under three minutes, the group of Curry, Hield, Andrew Wiggins, Kuminga…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/learned-kuminga-powers-warriors-comeback-042144513.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-12-29 04:21:00

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