SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have been on the wrong end of plenty of close games over the past few weeks, as they tumbled from a 12-3 start to a .500 record entering Saturday’s showdown with former teammate Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
But led by a huge performance from Jonathan Kuminga, who tied his career high with 34 points, and some timely plays down the stretch from recent addition Dennis Schroder, Golden State managed to escape with a 109-105 victory.
While it was just one win, Draymond Green saw no reason it couldn’t be the beginning of the Warriors getting their season back on track.
“When I look at where the season turned, it turned in San Antonio and Brooklyn, those back-to-back games,” Green said, referring to the first two losses of the team’s 3-12 stretch entering Saturday night’s game. “That was the turning point. There’s no reason why this can’t be a turning point to turn it back.
“But you got to build on it though. It just don’t happen. You’re not out of the woods. We’re 16 and 15, so we got to put some wins together. I think we’re capable of doing that.”
It appeared for large stretches as if Saturday’s game would become another agonizingly close loss for Golden State, which was coming off a two-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day and a spirited performance that nonetheless resulted in a loss Friday night to the LA Clippers with both Green and Stephen Curry sitting out.
With Green and Curry back on the court Saturday, Golden State still found itself trailing most of the night despite Green scoring all 16 of his points in the first half. Kuminga also had an excellent game off the bench, tying his career high while shooting 12-for-20 from the floor, going to the free throw line 12 times, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out three assists.
But the Warriors took the lead with 1:23 remaining when Schroder — who has struggled mightily since joining Golden State in a trade two weeks ago from Brooklyn — stepped up and buried a 3-pointer after Andrew Wiggins grabbed an offensive rebound off his own miss.
That was the first of a few key plays from Schroder down the stretch. He then forced a Durant turnover, drew a foul on a key loose ball and buried a couple of critical free throws to help preserve Golden State’s victory.
“It felt good for sure to knock down a 3,” Schroder said with a smile. “It’s been a rough couple of games, but I’m glad we won the game.”
A key factor was a second straight strong game from Kuminga, who has scored 34 points in back-to-back games. The seventh overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft has been a significant topic of conversation since the preseason, when he wasn’t given an extension, up until he recently was removed from the starting lineup by coach Steve Kerr.
But Kuminga looked every bit the part in this one, with his scoring as well as his defense on Durant down the stretch giving the Warriors a lift.
“It just feels like he’s turning a corner, and he played so hard last night and again tonight,” Kerr said. “This is exactly what we’re looking for, and it’s fun to see him deliver.”
“He’s one of the most talented guys on the team, by far,” Green said, “and it’s good to see him playing the way he’s playing. We just need him to stay that aggressive. When he’s on the court, we’re going to feature him, and it’s on him to do the rest, and he’s doing it.
“He’s more than capable, and he’ll continue to get better, and he’ll continue to do more.”
Golden State will try to build momentum across a six-game homestand, though one that features games against the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers and the Philadelphia 76ers, who have won nine of their past 12 games. It will also include games against playoff contenders in the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat.
But momentum has to begin somewhere. And after a series of close losses in recent weeks, the Warriors were glad to finally have one go their way.
“We’ve lost a lot of these,” Kerr said. “We need to regain our confidence, for sure. So, I think this will help.”
