After a slow start against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors quickly fell behind by 12 points in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Steve Kerr turned to his second unit for a spark and they delivered.
Anthony Lamb and Jonathan Kuminga each tallied eight points as the Warriors mounted an early comeback. Kuminga didn’t slow down after his second-quarter cameo. The former No. 7 overall draft pick affected the game on both ends of the floor, tallying 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field with 10 boards, two blocks and an assist.
With the Warriors trading buckets with the Mavericks in the fourth quarter, Kuminga knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with less than three minutes remaining.
Although the Warriors didn’t win Tuesday night, Golden State’s head coach had high praise for Kuminga’s performance. Kerr said Tuesday night was the “best game” he’s ever seen the sophomore forward play.
“Best game I’ve ever seen JK play. Because everything he did contributed towards making an impact on winning. Defense on Luka was fantastic. He was disciplined, he stayed down and challenged shots. He had a couple blocks. He stayed patient offensively. He just took the shots that were there. He knocked down a big three. JK has been fantastic — he’s really coming into his own and that’s very exciting.”
Via @NBCSWarriors on Twitter:
Steve Kerr says this was the "best game I've ever seen JK play." pic.twitter.com/6R93kthiml
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 30, 2022
Kuminga has had a significant role off the bench in Golden State’s last four games, playing 13 or more minutes in each contest. During that span, the former G League Ignite standout is averaging 6.8 points on 60% shooting from the field with 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks in 18 minutes per game.
Kuminga will have the chance to capitalize on his recent play when the Warriors return to the court on Friday against the Chicago Bulls at San Francisco’s Chase Center.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!