Warriors spectacularly dust off Jonathan Kuminga despite Raptors loss

Life without Jimmy Butler got off to a disappointing start for the Golden State Warriors, but the return of Jonathan Kuminga was at least a spetacular element from a spirited second-half against the Toronto Raptors at Chase Center on Tuesday night.

The Warriors trailed by as much as 30 early in the third-quarter, yet it was Kuminga and another recent absentee from the rotation, Buddy Hield, who led a comeback that brought the margin briefly back to single-digits in the fourth.

Warriors dust off Jonathan Kuminga in 145-127 loss to the Raptors

Golden State struggled on both ends of the floor in the first-half, feeling the loss of Butler as they fell behind 70-50. Kuminga was quiet in his brief minutes at the start of the second-quarter, but roared to life in the third with 12 points that included some typical explosions to the rim.

The controversial forward added another eight points in the fourth, finishing with 20 points and five rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting in only 21 minutes. He finished his night with a corner three, before having a legnthy conversation with Steve Kerr on the sidelines.

Kuminga hadn't played in 16-straight games and had played less than 10 minutes since December 6. The 23-year-old became eligible to be moved last Thursday, with that bringing with it an immediate trade request.

Hield had also recently seen eight-straight DNPs, but he continued his recent resurgence with a team-high 25 points on 7-of-8 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 from 3-point range. He and Kuminga helped the Warriors to 75 second-half points, yet they simply couldn't stop the Raptors who shot a blistering 59.3% from the floor and 61.8% from 3-point range.

Immanual Quickly epitomized Toronto's offensive dominance with an equal career-high 40 points and 10 assists, shooting 11-of-13 from the floor and 7-of-8 from beyond the arc. Scottie Barnes also added 26 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists, while Brandon Ingram added 22 for the visitors.

Golden State veterans Stephen Curry and Draymond Green struggled to deliver much energy without Butler by their side, not returning in the fourth-quarter even when the hosts threatened a remarkable comeback. Curry had 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting, while Green had six points, five rebounds and five assists after missing Monday's win due to an ankle injury.

The Warriors finish with a 6-2 home stand and now head to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Thursday, with a huge watch on Kuminga's rotational role as the trade deadline approaches.