Kuminga is developing by leaps and bounds for the Warriors.
inside many problems that the 2022-2023 Golden State Warriors had, his bench production topped the list for most of the season. With the Departure of trusted veterans from list of names champion like Gary Payton II (now back in the franchise, but injured), Otto Porter, Damion Lee, Juan Toscano and Nemanja Bjelica, the team led by Steve Kerr was left with a extremely new and infinite second unit, which failed to rise to the occasion. And the few veterans they banked on (case in point JaMychal Green), didn’t pan out either.
However, within this dark panorama for the Warriors, an illusory light begins to appear, connected to the interpretation brought by Jonathan Kuminga in recent weeks. The Congolese scored 24 and 17 points in his last two games and is now averaging 15.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 58% from the field and 50% on threes in their last 10 performances. All in just 25.4 minutes.
It is worth remembering that Kuminga has just 20 years, so it makes sense for him to have an erratic performance in his first few steps in the league. But physical, athletic and technical talent it was always there. And little by little, he seems to be cementing it for the good of Golden State.
Kuminga’s performance stands out not only from the individual, but also from the collective. In this 10-game stretch, he collects one difference +27 on the field. And while we know +/- isn’t always a perfect formula, it’s still a positive sign on a Warriors bench that has been in the negative throughout 2022-2023.
Actually, the -1.1 his substitutes average during the season is o seventh-worst record in the NBA.
Another point to consider is the state of uncertainty surrounding Andrew Wiggins. The Canadian has been away from the team since mid-February personal problems he was not released and there is no certainty when he will return to Golden State. Or directly if he will during this season.
Kerr has been known to use a big lineup with Draymond Green and Kevon Looney as starters during the regular season, but When it comes to the playoffs and the most important games of the year, it usually leans toward small ball What a wonderful result it has given you over the years. Wiggins is a fundamental piece to this, as a big and athletic three, able to pair seamlessly with opposing fours. Without Wiggins and with Iguodala at the end of his career, today that role would fall to Kuminga.
In fact, Kerr has already predicted such a move in recent weeks: he included the African in his starting five in recent games with the Lakers, Rockets, Timberwolves, Thunder and Hawks.
The results of these bets were up and down, but overall, the Kuminga-Draymond interior duo performed positively: In 764 possessions with both on the court (without Looney), Golden State has a net rating of +2.9 (differential every 100 possessions). That mark is much higher than what Wiggins-Draymond recorded (again, without Looney): -0.4 Net Rating in 987 possessions.
Does that mean Kuminga is a better option than Wiggins? Of course not. The former Minnesota native showed he can be a a decisive factor in the peak occasions of the season, including a stellar performance in the 2022 Finals against Boston. But at least it suggests that Golden State could find an interesting solution, in a A 20-year-old young man who has everything to keep growing day by day.
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Denver Nuggets announced Nikola Jokic He will miss at least four weeks due to a left knee injury.
Star center was diagnosed with left knee hyperextension. At the same time, tests confirmed that the three-time NBA MVP’s knee ligaments remained intact.
Jokic was injured in the final seconds of the first half of the 123-147 loss to the Miami Heat and limped heavily on his way to the locker room. He did not return to the site after a long time.
Before his injury, Nikola managed to produce 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in just 19 minutes on the field.
Losing Jokic could be a big blow for Denver, as starters Christian Braun (ankle injury), Aaron Gordon (hip issue) and Cam Johnson (knee injury) remain sidelined.
Jokic averaged 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists per game this season.
Injury Update: Nikola Jokić suffered a Hyperextension injury in his Left Knee in last night’s match against Miami Heat. Nikola will be re-evaluated in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/NIDmlKAN81
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11 games were played in the NBA regular season on the night of December 29-30.
Miami hosted Denver and earned a landslide victory.
The home team was ahead by 12 points with 41:29 to play in the first quarter, but the Nuggets were able to slowly win back in the second quarter. The teams entered a long break with the score tied at 63:63. The decisive factor in the match was the third quarter, when the Heat made an 11:0 move and led by 15 points at 84:69. After that the home team completely controlled the course of the game and only increased their advantage, achieving a crushing victory – 147:123.
The most productive player of the match was Powell, who brought 25 points to Miami, while Jaques (20 points + 11 assists) and Adebayo had double-doubles with 13 points + 10 rebounds.
San Antonio hosted Cleveland and suffered a sensational defeat.
Three-quarters of the meeting was fought evenly, with the teams responding to each other’s pushes with their own pushes and often staying within a shot or two of each other. That changed in the fourth quarter, as the Cavaliers went on a 15-2 run to take a 10-point lead, 94-84. They then maintained their advantage and won with a score of 113:101.
Cleveland’s main hero in this game was Allen, who had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Garland can achieve the same success with 15 points and 11 assists.
Toronto beat Orlando at home.
Magic started the match better and made a 14:2 move at the start. Afterwards, they took control of the course of the game and increased the advantage completely to +21 – 51:30 in the second 12 minutes. After that, the home team slowly started to close the gap and entered the long break with a score of 11-11 at 54:65. The third quarter was tied, so Orlando still had a double-digit advantage ahead of the final: 94:84. At the beginning of the match the play followed the same scenario but in the middle Toronto made a move with 15:0 and not only won it back but also took the lead with 105:102. The fate of the game was decided by Barnes’ free throws, which set the score at 107:106 with 1 minute and 27 seconds left in the quarter.
Barnes could not make a triple-double this time, but he did a double-double and got 13 points and 11 rebounds, while the most productive name in the victory was Shead with 19 points.
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Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo He gave a harsh response to the question about a possible trade to another NBA club:
“I’m here. Don’t ask me that question. It’s disrespectful to me and my teammates. I wear this jersey every day.
To say I don’t want to be here is disrespectful to the organization, the coaching staff, myself and everyone who worked hard to get me on the field. Don’t ask me this question. I am her. I’m going out in this uniform. And as long as I’m here, I’ll give it my all until the last second of the match.”
On the night of December 27-28, Antetokounmpo returned to the field after his calf muscle injury and became the most productive player of the game with the Chicago Bulls – 112:103.
I am a sports journalist who has written for various websites and magazines. I currently work as an author at Sportish, a news website that covers sports news. My main focus is writing about soccer, rugby and other sports in the world.
