Playing without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green while coming up against the fifth-ranked defense in the league, the Golden State Warriors predictably struggled through the first three-quarters of Friday night's battle with the L.A. Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
After trailing 81-62 heading into the fourth, the Warriors turned up the defensive intensity and leant almost solely on Jonathan Kuminga as they threatened a crazy comeback over the final minutes. Golden State pulled to within three at 91-88 with just over two minutes remaining, only for the Clippers to steady and record a 102-92 victory that brings their pacific rival back to a .500 record.
Jonathan Kuminga led a Warriors comeback effort on Friday night
It was a tale of two stories for the Warriors, with their youngsters fighting hard but their veterans failing to stand up in the 10-point loss. The comeback effort was led by a unit of Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody, Lindy Waters III, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis, leaving Andrew Wiggins and Dennis Schroder stapled to the bench for the entire fourth period.
Kuminga was outstanding with increased on-ball opportunity, going for a career-high 34 points which included 15 in the final period. The 22-year-old didn't actually start the game either, with Steve Kerr going to Kyle Anderson alongside Wiggins and Jackson-Davis in the front court.
That didn't stop Kuminga from playing nearly 37 minutes in which he relentlessly attacked and got to the free-throw line on 14 occasions. He importantly made 11 of those and went 11-of-19 from the floor overall, while also adding 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals in one of the best performances of his career.
JK battles through contact 💪 pic.twitter.com/rcqHLJFoi4
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 28, 2024
Jackson-Davis had 15 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in a fascinating battle against Ivica Zubac, with the Clippers center going for 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in 36 minutes.
Moses Moody had 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting off the bench, while Brandin Podziemski added 10 points, five assists, three steals and forced a number of L.A's 21 turnovers which kept the Warriors in the game.
Ultimately Golden State just didn't have enough offense beyond Kuminga, with Wiggins, Schroder and Buddy Hield limited to just 17 combined points on 7-of-30 shooting from the floor and 2-of-15 from 3-point range.
The Warriors were therefore restricted to just 36.8% from the floor and a paltry 18.4% from beyond the arc, while the Clippers shot 53.3% from the floor in comparison. Norman Powell continued his hot form against Golden State, going for 26 points and finishing as a game-high +18.
The Warriors will have a chance to quickly respond against the Phoenix Suns at home on Saturday, with Curry and Green both expected to return in what's becoming an increasingly disastrous situation.