The Golden State Warriors celebrated the return of Jonathan Kuminga and Stephen Curry's 4000th career 3-pointer on Thursday night, easily accounting for the Sacramento Kings in a 130-104 victory at Chase Center.
But while Kuminga's strong return was a significant talking point after a 31-game absence due to an ankle sprain, the Warriors are now dealing with another injury issue that's starting to grow in concern by the game.
Brandin Podziemski will remain out for the Warriors on Saturday
After leaving last Thursday's win over the Brooklyn Nets less than a minute following tip-off, young guard Brandin Podziemski will now miss his fourth-straight game due to a back strain. The 22-year-old has again been listed as out to face the New York Knicks on Saturday, with Golden State looking for their seventh-straight win and 14th in the past 16 games.
It's a frustrating and concerning injury, particularly given the Warriors have just regained Kuminga and would now otherwise have the luxury of a full rotation available with only 16 games remaining in the season.
Podziemski had been playing a significant role for Golden State prior to his back injury, having started nine-straight games while averaging over 31 minutes in the 13 games prior to the Brooklyn meeting at Barclays Center.
Steve Kerr has been going big by starting rookie center Quinten Post in Podziemski's absence, with that sure to be a fascinating watch as the Warriors prepare to face All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Kuminga is off the injury report altogether after initially being listed as probable for his return game, while Gary Payton II continues to be available despite suffering a nasal fracture against the Charlotte Hornets last week. Having to wear a mask has seemingly helped Payton since missing one game due to the injury, with the veteran guard having gone 7-of-12 from 3-point range over the last four games.
While the Knicks have regained Towns since missing the first matchup against the Warriors at Madison Square Garden last week, they'll now be without All-Star guard Jalen Brunson who sustained an ankle injury against the Los Angeles Lakers.
New York have won two of their three games since Brunson went down, the last of which came on a Mikal Bridges game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The Knicks have a strong hold on the third-seed in the Eastern Conference standings, sitting with a 42-23 record five games ahead of the fourth-seed Milwaukee Bucks.
The Warriors need to keep winning to ensure they maintain hold of the sixth-seed in the West, while also trying to edge closer to the teams above them like the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.