Third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga made a spectacular and successful comeback for the Golden State Warriors in their 118-110 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, following a six-game absence due to a knee injury.
Playing just over 27 minutes off the bench, Kuminga continued to show no symptoms of his knee ailment while making basket after basket in a style that only he could. As a member of the productive Warrior offense, the 21-year-old finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on 9 of 11 shots from the field.
Klay Thompson scored 32 points in a flash, and Jonathan Kuminga came back strong to lead the Golden State Warriors to a convincing victory.
The hosts’ expected programming resumed after a 10-6 Jazz start that resulted in a fiery remark from Steve Kerr. They scored 41 points to establish a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter.
Without Stephen Curry to rest, 34-year-old Klay Thompson had more offensive opportunities and was the primary destroyer in the first half. Thompson led his side to a 14-point lead at the half with 25 points on 9 of 15 shooting.
The young Jazz fought valiantly and the Warriors weren’t particularly remarkable, but the visitors were constantly kept at arm’s length, so the second half nearly felt like a pointless drill.
From a Golden State perspective, Kuminga was the clear winner because he had an impact on both ends of the court with his exceptional athleticism. Although Thompson finished the game with a game-high 32 points, his efficiency suffered in the second half as he only made 2 of 8 shots.
With Draymond Green limited to 21 minutes due to a back injury and Curry watching from the sidelines, Chris Paul masterfully managed the offense to end with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and a +15 rating in more than 35 minutes.
Both rookies Trayce Jackson-Davis and Brandin Podziemski kept up their impressive play. Jackson-Davis concluded with less than 23 minutes of play with 16 points (8-of-10 shooting), seven rebounds, six assists, and an incredible one-leg buzzer-beating three.
While Utah, led by a career-high 27 points from Johnny Juzang on 7 of 8 three-point shooting, shot 47% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc, Golden State shot 53.3% from the floor and 40% from three-point range.
With a pivotal game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday that could potentially determine Play-In seedings, the Warriors advance to a 43-35 record on the season.