JK proving to be constant scorer for Warriors regardless of loss initially appeared on NBC Sports activities Bay Space
The Warriors have been looking for a constant scorer to enrich Stephen Curry for many of the 2023-24 NBA season. Jonathan Kuminga is beginning to seem like he could be that man.
In a sport the place nearly every little thing that might go incorrect did go incorrect, Kuminga offered one of many few vibrant spots for the Warriors throughout Saturday’s 126-113 loss to the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Heart.
Kuminga shook off a sluggish first half and offered Golden State with a number of vibrant spots throughout an in any other case ugly sport. He sank eight of 11 pictures within the second half and completed with 26 factors.
As at all times, Kuminga did his greatest work inside the important thing, the place he has been fairly dominant all season. He didn’t have lots of his patent thunderous drives down the lane, however he principally was efficient on an evening when not many Warriors had been.
Sadly for Golden State, it wasn’t practically sufficient — even in opposition to the worst group within the Western Convention lacking its prime two scorers.
The Warriors dug themselves a gap they couldn’t get out of.
“We let up a bit bit beginning the sport,” Kuminga informed reporters at Chase Heart. “It was powerful to get again. The second half we tried to do our greatest to get again within the sport, but it surely was a bit bit late.”
Kuminga’s night time was removed from good. He had two of the group’s 12 turnovers and dedicated a pair of fouls over the ultimate seven minutes of the fourth quarter.
Nonetheless, his total sport was stable. It was the fifth time in Kuminga’s final seven video games that he has dropped at the least 20 factors on an opponent. He has completed that 18 instances within the 62 video games he has performed in through the 2023-24 season.
And it got here on the heels of two very productive video games that showcased simply how good Kuminga might be. He had 20 factors, 4 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks in a dominant win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, then adopted that up with 19 factors and 10 rebounds within the loss to the Chicago Bulls a day later.
As they attempt to make a push for higher positioning within the West, the Warriors completely want extra video games like this out of the large man.
Starting with an 11-for-11 efficiency in opposition to the Atlanta Hawks on Jan. 24, Kuminga has been capturing at a really efficient fee. Together with his 10-for-17 outing in opposition to the Spurs, the 21-year-old is connecting at an environment friendly 55.3-percent clip (177 for 320).
“Jon was nice tonight on the rim,” Klay Thompson stated. “Hopefully he takes that very same method after we see them on Monday.”
Kuminga did all of his scoring in opposition to the Spurs inside the important thing, which is nothing new. However with out Stephen Curry on the ground, the Warriors had spacing points.
Kuminga, who often is fast to assault when he finds an open lane created by Curry, didn’t have lots of these form of alternatives with the star guard sidelined and as a substitute settled for brief pictures close to the rim.
That made it extraordinarily tough for the Warriors and Kuminga to get a lot going persistently.
Kuminga, nonetheless, wasn’t able to latch onto the excuse of every little thing falling aside as a result of Curry didn’t play. The Warriors, he insisted, have to have the ability to overcome pitfalls like that.
“I really feel like we have now an ideal group to compete in opposition to anyone,” Kuminga stated. “After all we’re going to really feel Steph’s absence, however [that] can’t be a purpose, as a result of Steph’s not taking part in is why we’re shedding. Clearly he is available in and adjustments the sport, however simply because we’re lacking him don’t imply we have now to go on the market and lose.”
“Simply us lacking him does not imply we have now to go on the market and lose.”
JK is not utilizing Steph’s absence as an excuse tonight 💯 pic.twitter.com/xR5FXhxRT4
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 10, 2024
Curry isn’t going to play when the 2 groups go at it once more Monday in San Antonio, so that they’ll seemingly face among the similar defenses and hurdles that the Spurs threw at them at Chase Heart.
However so long as Kuminga retains taking part in the best way he’s been, the Warriors ought to have an opportunity to get issues circled shortly.
They need to as a result of they haven’t any different selection.
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