Rounding up all the Warriors and NBA news from around the web.
Good Morning Dub Nation,
The Golden State Warriors’ three-game winning streak came to an end last night after losing to the Dallas Mavericks, 116-113. It was a thrilling back-and-forth game that featured the league’s top two scorers in Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry showing off their offensive prowess on the nationally televised stage. In the end, the Warriors came up just short as Klay Thompson missed the go-ahead three-point attempt — on a beautifully drawn-up play by head coach Steve Kerr – at the final buzzer. The loss brings the team back to .500 with a record of 11-11.
Despite the defeat, the biggest positive for the Warriors was the performance of Jonathan Kuminga. He played an excellent game last night as outlined by our very own Brady Klopfer.
26 minutes, 14 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 3 fouls, 6-for-8 shooting, 1-for-1 threes, 1-for-4 free throws, 71.7% TS, +21
A day after I published an article highlighting Kuminga’s excellent free throw shooting, he went just 1-for-4 from the charity stripe. And that was the only part of his game that wasn’t excellent.
Kuminga was absolutely exceptional in this game. It was the type of game where the Warriors vision for him became very clear. His athleticism was on display in the unglamorous parts of the game, as he exploded to the rim for rebounds, flew to the perimeter to set screens, and used his agility and strength to play really, really good defense.
It’s the defense that will solidify his spot in the rotation, but it was still great to see the improvements on the offensive end. The tunnel vision and poorly-selected threes were gone. He was aggressive but with purpose in this game, and only took one three: a wide open, corner shot that proved to be a huge bucket down the stretch.
He was on the court towards the end of each half, and for good reason. Phenomenal performance. The best of his career in my opinion … and in Kerr’s.
Grade: A+
Post-game bonus: Led the team in rebounds and plus/minus.
During his postgame presser, Kuminga talked about finding different ways to impact the game – something he did Tuesday night which earned him high praise from coach Kerr.
JK says he’s been working on different ways to impact the game besides scoring pic.twitter.com/bROkYqExWb
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 30, 2022
Steve Kerr says this was the “best game I’ve ever seen JK play.” pic.twitter.com/6R93kthiml
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 30, 2022
Here are the rest of today’s stories:
In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:
- How Luka Dončić exploited the Warriors’ ‘Luka Rules’
- Player grades: Warriors vs. Mavs
- Warriors cannot overcome disastrous start in 116-113 loss to Mavericks
- Podcast: Warriors vs. Mavs
- Conference Finals rematch headlines TNT Tuesday night
Other Warriors News:
- Five observations: Warriors falter late in Dallas as ‘clutch’ losses add up (The Athletic)
- Kawakami: Why Jonathan Kuminga is rising with the Warriors and James Wiseman and Moses Moody are not (The Athletic)
- Steph Curry doesn’t believe he traveled on questionable call in Warriors’ loss (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- How James Wiseman could be impacted by Warriors’ improved second unit (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Steph Curry, Warriors guards pushing pace while attacking glass (NBC Sports Bay Area)
NBA News:
- NBA reportedly sidelined referee Tony Brothers for alleged ‘mother f***er’ insult of Mavs G Spencer Dinwiddie (Yahoo Sports)
- NBA trade rumors update: Russell Westbrook, John Collins and Jae Crowder all could be on the move (SB Nation)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) out several weeks with right calf strain (NBA)
- Chicago Bulls gave Billy Donovan extension before season (ESPN)
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