Jonathan Kuminga sparks stunning late-game move from Hawks

Dyson Daniels was the NBA's Most Improved player just a season ago, but the Atlanta Hawks and head coach Quin Snyder had no choice but to bench the 23-year-old thanks to a stunning Game 2 performance from former Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.

Kuminga was arguably the biggest factor to a stunning fourth-quarter Hawks comeback that resulted in a shock 107-106 victory, leaving Daniels to play less than three minutes in the final period and sit over the last five minutes of the game.

Jonathan Kuminga's performance forces late-game Hawks adjustment

Kuminga played 27 minutes off the bench but didn't close in a Game 1 loss, yet turned things around spectacularly on Monday as the Hawks evened the series. Atlanta found themselves down 91-79 entering the fourth-quarter, only for Kuminga to lead a remarkable comeback.

The 23-year-old had 19 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals and a block in his nearly 35 minutes, but even those impressive numbers don't do justice to just how much impact he had down the stretch.

Kuminga was the only Hawks player to play all 12 minutes in the fourth-quarter, recording seven points, two rebounds an assist and a steal while producing an emphatic block on Knicks star Jalen Brunson at the rim.

The former seventh overall pick has had some strong performances after he was traded by the Warriors at February's deadline, but this was undoubtedly Kuminga's best and biggest moment in an Atlanta jersey.

His two-way impact was undeniable, allowing the Hawks to draw level down the stretch before another mid-season trade acquisition, CJ McCollum, closed things down the stretch outside of his two missed free-throws.

Jonathan Kuminga has history of performing in the playoffs

While there's been plenty of question over Kuminga's game across the years, you could never debate his ability to step up and meet a moment head on when it's called for. The athletic forward never got much playoff opportunity for the Warriors, at least until Stephen Curry injured his hamstring during last year's second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In desperate need of some offense, Kerr and Golden State had no option but to turn to Kuminga as a primary option. While the Warriors would go on to lose four-straight games, Kuminga impressed in leading the team in scoring with averages 24.3 points and 3.5 rebounds on 55.4% shooting from the floor and 38.9% from 3-point range.

The Hawks will now be hoping this is just a sign of things to come and that Kuminga can help them to what would be a surprising first-round series victory against more favored opposition.

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