Jonathan Kuminga shines in Warriors 129-125 preseason victory over Lakers

The Golden State Warriors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 129-125 in the team’s second preseason game. As was expected, the Warriors continued to look a bit rough around the edges. They committed 21 turnovers and were inconsistent defensively, but they also saw some promising flashes from multiple key young players.

An early barrage from the Dubs gave them a 13-6 lead before the Lakers’ starters came to storming back. Los Angeles’ offense was firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, scoring 37 points without committing a single turnover. The Lakers are one of the biggest team’s in the league, specifically creating difficult mismatches for the Dubs. Nevertheless, Golden State gave their coaching staff plenty of defensive tape to focus on improving over the rest of the preseason.

The Warriors prevented the Lakers from pulling away in the second quarter, but were also unable to cut their deficit to fewer than three points. Chris Paul had an unusually sloppy day offensively, committing five turnovers in 20 minutes which tended to kill any offensive runs. The other future Hall of Fame point guard, though, Steph Curry, looked ready to take on the regular season. He committed just one turnover in 20 minutes of action and recorded 18 points, three rebounds, and four assists on 5-for-8 shooting from the field (2-for-4 from three).

For the second consecutive game, the most impressive player on the Warriors was young forward Jonathan Kuminga. Despite being questionable with an injury prior to the game, Kuminga looked fully healthy and was impactful off the bench in the first half before taking on a more focal role as the superstars went to the bench in the final quarter. He scored 11 points in the first half and finished with 26 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field in 27 minutes of action.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had Dario Saric replace Looney with the rest of the starting lineup coming out of the half, and it sparked a quick Warriors rally to tie things up at 75 before the Lakers answered with a 10-0 run of their own.

The Warriors secondary players, led by Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Jerome Robinson, slowly chipped away at the lead over the remaining quarter and tied things up at 100 heading into the fourth quarter. While Podziemski only scored five points in the first three quarters, the Dubs first-round pick had racked up five rebounds and nine assists. He was consistently pushing the pace in transition and creating open looks for his teammates.

A back-and-fourth final quarterleft things all tied up at 121 with two minutes to go in regulation. The Warriors ran a set play that led Kuminga to find an open Moses Moody for a left wing three that gave them a 124-121 lead. The Lakers quickly answered with a putback layup by Colin Castelton.

The Lakers stifled the Dubs on the subsequent possession and retook a one-point lead on another inside score from Castelton. Then, Podziemski rushed a three that rimmed out, but rookie second-round pick Trayce Jackson-Davis managed to corral an offensive rebound putback layup to put the Warriors ahead 126-125.

Los Angeles rushed back downcourt and Jackson-Davis blocked a layup attempt by Jalen Hood-Schifino. He was called for a shooting foul live, but the call was overturned upon review. The Warriors gained possession after a jump ball and the Lakers sent Kuminga to the line with 10.7 seconds remaining. He made both free throws to give the Dubs a 128-125 lead. The Lakers missed a deep three-point attempt on the other end, fouled Podziemski, and the result had been decided.