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, 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 and Green were a plus-9, outscoring the Suns 12-3.

Kerr used seven combinations where Green was at center and Kuminga played power forward; five had a positive plus/minus, and only one was a negative. Kuminga was able to attack downhill for the second straight game 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 of four blocks. The second-year pro has flipped a switch and become the game-changing presence he was near the end of last season once he joined the starting lineup.

Draymond Finds His Offense

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

After scoring 21 points and going 5 of 9 from three on Dec. 15 against the Dallas Mavericks, Green came into the night having scored a total of seven points and making just two of his 11 3-point attempts over his past 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 Clippers, but in the second quarter Saturday night, he found his shooting stroke. In the second quarter alone, Green scored 14 points and went a perfect 3 of 3 behind the 3-point line. That gave him 16 points at halftime, his most points in any half this season.

Though Green didn’t score again in the second half, his 16 first-half points 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. All in the starting lineup, the trio combined to score 17 points on 7-of-30 shooting (23.3 percent) and went 2 of 15 on threes (13.3 percent).

Somehow, they were equally as bad the next night.

Hield took seven shots, all being 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 went 1 of 6 on 3-pointers. Schröder’s 11 points were 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 distance.

However, Schröder did save 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 tries from 3-point range.

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

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