“Best game I’ve ever seen” – Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga excites against Mavs

The Golden State Warriors may have fallen to the Dallas Mavericks in an enthralling encounter on Tuesday, but the performance of second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga was sure to leave optimism in the minds of most.

Kuminga was part of a strong bench unit who gave the Warriors a chance of securing a second consecutive road win, however Luka Doncic’s 41-point triple double proved the difference as the Mavericks clung on to a three-point win.

Jonathan Kuminga produced a career-best game, according to Steve Kerr, as the Golden State Warriors succumbed to the Dallas Mavericks 116-113 on Tuesday.

Kuminga may have had games with more eye-popping numbers, but in terms of impact in a high-pressure, nationally televised matchup, it was a career-best performance according to head coach Steve Kerr.

"“Best game I’ve ever seen JK play because everything he did contributed towards making an impact on winning. His defense on Luka was fantastic – he was disciplined, he stayed down, he challenged shots, I think he he had a couple blocks. He stayed patient offensively, he just took the shots that were there…He’s really coming into his own and that’s exciting”."

Kuminga played 25 minutes and 34 seconds, the most he’s played in a game that’s featured all three of Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green. Surprisingly, it was Wiggins (27:17) who felt the effect of Kuminga’s increased playing time.

Whether Wiggins was under the weather is unknown, but either way Kerr made an adjustment by giving Kuminga minutes to open the second and fourth quarters. He’d previously been going with a lineup of Jordan Poole, Donte DiVincenzo, Wiggins, Anthony Lamb and Draymond Green, with Kuminga in place of Wiggins leaving Green as the only starter against Dallas.

Kuminga repaid the faith with an excellent performance, even earning the trust of Kerr as he earnt some minutes to close each half. His defense and rebounding was immense in areas the Warriors otherwise struggled in, and his 14 points came on an efficient 6-for-8 shooting. It’s clear that Kuminga is starting to buy into his bench role, and that much was evident in the post-game press conference. 

"“I try to work on staying positive every single time, even when one thing ain’t going right. I spoke to coach the other day — I’ll try my best, even if I’m not scoring, that’s not going to stop me from coming in the game and trying to impact on whatever’s really needed”."

Kuminga was a team-high +21 in the game, with that being his equal fifth-best plus-minus of his career. His 14-point, ten-rebound double-double was also just the third of his 88 regular season games to date.

Kerr has been criticised for his use (or lack thereof) of Golden State’s young players, but he does deserve credit for giving Kuminga increasing responsibility. That included being the primary defender on Doncic once he entered the game in the opening period.

The performance comes on the back of an extremely solid 20-minute outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Kuminga and the Warriors hoping his form continues when they return home to face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.