Without Steph or Draymond, Warriors snap five-game losing streak against Rockets
SAN FRANCISCO — With Steph Curry and Draymond Green both wearing sweatsuits at opposite ends of the bench Thursday night, the Warriors were going to need alternate scoring options in order to snap their season-long losing streak and continue a historic run of success against the Houston Rockets.
Inserted into the starting lineup for the sixth time this season, Jonathan Kuminga understood the assignment.
An aggressive and efficient performance from the fourth-year wing helped guide the undermanned Warriors to their first win in nearly two weeks, 99-93.
The Warriors’ two sidelined stars popped from their positions on the bench to mob Kuminga after he took his defender off the dribble and finished the at rim while clinging to a one-possession lead in the final seconds for the last of his career-high 33 points.
“That was the play of the game,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It was just a beautiful drive and capped off a phenomenal night for him. He was brilliant.”
In all, 15 of Kuminga’s points came in the final quarter, providing an offensive spark the Warriors have lacked late in games without Curry on the floor. He connected on 13 of his 22 attempts from the field, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc, plus another 4-for-6 from the foul line.
After the Rockets pulled within 3, 99-96, with 33 seconds left, Kerr called his final timeout and drew up a play for Kuminga.
“JK just made the play,” Kerr said. “He got a couple of ghost screens — one from Buddy (Hield) and one from (Brandin Podziemski) — just to try to confuse the switch a little bit, and JK just attacked.”
Andrew Wiggins, who was questionable with a right ankle injury, also contributed 23 points and nine rebounds.
“I don’t even know if he should’ve played tonight,” Kerr said. “But he knew Steph and Draymond were out and he knew how important this game was. He gutted it out. He’s been that way since he’s been here. Ironman. … He knew he had a lot of responsibility tonight. He and JK both did a really great job of providing the offense.”
No other Warriors scored in double figures, but the contributions from Kuminga and Wiggins were enough to get Golden State back in the win column for the first time since Nov. 22, snapping a five-game losing streak.
“We needed it a lot, especially the way we’ve had a lot of close games where we were up and gave away the lead,” said Kevon Looney, who collected 11 rebounds while posting a team-best plus-21. “This game was kind of the same. They were fighting back. So for us to close it out without two of our best players, it was big for us.”
The Warriors (13-8) haven’t lost to the Rockets (15-8) since Feb. 20, 2020, extending their winning streak to 15 regular-season games, one shy of the longest active run against one opponent in the NBA. They will have the opportunity to match the Knicks’ 16 straight wins against the Pistons next week, when the teams meet again in Houston for the next round of the NBA Cup.
By then, the Warriors hope to have Curry (knee) and Green (calf) back in lineup. Wearing a Golden State Valkyries jersey over his green sweats, Green missed his second game in a row and Curry his second game in a matter of weeks with ongoing ailments, but Kerr said both could be back as soon as Friday against the Timberwolves.
“They were very engaged,” Kerr said. “Steph and I were discussing the timeout situation, 33 seconds left, up 3. … I’m talking to Steph about it. Draymond’s talking to our guys about what’s going on defensively. We needed them.”
Golden State improved to 24-39 all-time when playing without both Curry and Green.
With their two stars moonlighting as assistant coaches, the Warriors quickly built a 15-point advantage out of halftime that they never relinquished, despite missing two-fifths of their typical closing lineup.
Houston pulled within 2, 87-85, prompting Kerr to call timeout with 4:38 remaining, and Kuminga converted a tip-in on the next possession to stave off the comeback attempt. Gary Payton II intercepted a pass from Jalen Green with 1:07 left and set up a Euro-stepping Kuminga to put the game on ice.
Getting the starting nod in place of Green, Kuminga came out aggressive and scored a team-high eight points on 3-of-7 shooting in the opening quarter. Despite connecting on only 7 of their 22 shots from the field in the first quarter, the Warriors didn’t trail for the first time until the final minute of the period.
The Warriors took a 49-43 advantage into halftime, thanks to 12 second-quarter points from Wiggins, who converted his second 4-point play of the period to allow Golden State to take its biggest lead since midway through the first quarter into intermission.
Kuminga poured in a quick nine points to start the third quarter that helped Golden State build its largest lead of the game.
“It was a really slow start for us, 18 points in the first quarter,” Kerr said. “Couldn’t get anything going. You could tell our fans were a little frustrated. Sometimes when you’re missing your two best players, it takes a little while in a game to get going and figure out the rhythm of it. I thought those two 4-point plays from Wiggs changed the momentum.”