Dub Hub: Jonathan Kuminga won’t let Steph Curry’s absence be an excuse for loss vs. Spurs

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Monday, March 11th.

Warriors News:

Jonathan Kuminga won’t let Steph Curry’s absence be an excuse for Saturday’s loss

Steve Kerr explains the thought process behind Saturday’s new starting lineup

Warriors lose at home to the 14-50 Spurs and continue tumble back to 10th seed | The Athletic

“This is a bad loss,” Klay Thompson said. “Not good.”

Two wins in three days would’ve edged them near the eighth spot, within a half-game of a Dallas Mavericks team they face three more times, and only 1 1/2 games out of sixth. But the two losses — which drop them to 17-17 at home this season a year after they went 33-8 at Chase Center — planted them alone in 10th, behind the Los Angeles Lakers again, seated 3 1/2 games out of sixth with only 19 games left.

Warriors’ Kevon Looney reflects on his celebrated consecutive games played streak | The Athletic

“People doubted whether I’d be able to play again,” Looney said. “So to be able to put together a streak like that was important to me. I take pride in being a tough guy, being there every night, being available.”

Looney made a goal before the 2021-22 season to appear in all 82 games. Rick Celebrini, Golden State’s director of sports medicine and performance, tried to convince him to take a few days off when the calendar was at its most condensed, but Looney pushed through and talked his way onto the court.

“I had a couple of games I was playing on one leg,” Looney said. “Rick was like, ‘I don’t know if you should go.’ But I’m right there. I’m about to make it. There were probably about six or seven games I probably shouldn’t have played.”

Another positive Steph Curry injury update, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole

NBA News:

Rockets await test results on Alperen Sengun’s knee, ankle | ESPN

Sengun appeared to be in immediate distress, and he left the court in a wheelchair after several minutes on the baseline, with his hands covering his face.

Speaking after the game, Rockets coach Ime Udoka said Sengun was undergoing X-rays and that the team would “know more shortly.” An MRI is scheduled for Monday, sources told Wojnarowski.

NBA fines Rudy Gobert $100,000 for ‘inappropriate and unprofessional gesture’ toward official | The Athletic

The NBA fined Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert $100,000 — the largest fine issued to a player not suspended this season — for suggesting league referees were influenced by sports betting Friday night after a 113-104 overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The fine, levied by league vice president and chief disciplinarian Joe Dumars and announced through a news release, also covered Gobert’s flashing the money sign with both hands toward refs after he was whistled for his sixth foul late in the fourth quarter.

Mavs’ Luka Doncic becomes first player in NBA history to record six-consecutive 30-point triple-doubles

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Where the Warriors went wrong in terms of process against a shorthanded Spurs team

I’m not one to pretend that I know better than coaches who are in the NBA, as I am virtually someone writing and tweeting from my couch. *If* I had any say, however, I would’ve preferred to place more spacing on the floor to start the game — Klay Thompson as the starter in lieu of Brandin Podziemski, for example. Or, if the priority was to keep ball handlers on the floor, I much rather would’ve had Green be the starting center, put Wiggins and Thompson on the floor, and maximize spacing and pace.

Instead, the problem of a lineup with Jackson-Davis, Green, and Kuminga reared its ugly head. Stagnant possessions that turned into isolations and post-ups were common in the first half. Without the spacing that Curry provided, the Warriors resorted to such possessions that failed to generate advantages.

Warriors to re-evaluate Steph Curry’s sprained ankle on Tuesday

Having said that, he will still have to miss at least the next two games, both of which are against the San Antonio Spurs. After that, the Warriors play two critical games: one against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and the other against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. The Warriors trail both teams in the Western Conference standings by 1.5 games, making the timing of Curry’s return that much more significant for the following week to come.

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