HOUSTON — The Warriors were planning on having Jonathan Kuminga back for their game against the Rockets Thursday night, but even the best laid plans can go awry.
Less than two hours before tipoff, Kuminga was downgraded from questionable to out on Golden State’s official injury report, knocking him out for a fifth straight game. Kuminga, who has been dealing with bilateral knee tendinitis, played 3-on-3 on Tuesday and Steve Kerr said the Warriors expected him to return for the Rockets tilt.
But Kuminga still didn’t feel quite ready after scrimmaging again Thursday morning, so he missed the game.
“The training staff said they felt strongly we should give him another night off,” Kerr said before the Rockets game. “We’re hopeful for tomorrow, but we’ll see how it feels tomorrow.”
In addition to the morning scrimmage, Kuminga got shots up on the Toyota Center court before tipoff and worked with assistant coach Anthony Vereen on the bench. Kerr said it’s good that Kuminga has gotten a couple of days of conditioning in, but Kuminga’s status Friday will depend on how he’s feeling.
Golden State (41-34) won five straight to enter Thursday night with a three-game lead over Houston for the 10th seed.
The Rockets matchup doesn’t represent the same level of rivalry it once did, but their game has significant postseason stakes. A Golden State win would essentially end the Rockets’ hopes of stealing the 10th seed, given the Warriors’ lead in the standings as well as owning the tiebreaker.
Houston won 11 straight even as they lost star center Alperen Sengun to an ankle injury, taking advantage of a soft pocket of their schedule and riding an ascendant Jalen Green.
Green, who played with Kuminga on the 2020-21 G League Ignite, is averaging 30.8 points on efficient shooting splits since Sengun got injured. Kuminga’s absence puts more pressure on defenders such as Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II to help slow him down.
The Rockets game is the first of a back-to-back for the Warriors, with a meeting with the Mavericks in Dallas upcoming on Friday. The Warriors beat Dallas without Kuminga on Tuesday behind a strong defensive effort.
Kuminga is averaging 16.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in a breakout campaign.
