Dub Hub, Daily Warriors Links for 3/10/23: Jonathan Kuminga injures ankle during pregame vs. Grizzlies

Good Morning Dub Nation,

The Golden State Warriors followed up a promising 5-0 homestand with a disappointing 0-3 road trip after losing to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night 131-110. In addition to the sting of yet another road failure, the Warriors received more frustrating news in the injury department as second year forward Jonathan Kuminga appeared to roll his ankle during pregame warmups.

The injury occurred as Kuminga was practicing a routine drive to the rim before Thursday’s game. He put all his body weight onto his right ankle which appears to turn as he subsequently collapses on the floor.

Kuminga was a late scratch against the Grizzlies, but the good news is that his x-rays came back negative. The bad news, however, was that he was reportedly seen leaving the arena in a walking boot with currently no timetable for his return.

Strangely enough, this is the second consecutive day that a player injured their ankle during pregame warmups. On Wednesday night, Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant also rolled his ankle before their matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans and will reportedly be out for two to three weeks.

The team really could’ve used Kuminga on Thursday night. His absence — along with Andrew Wiggins missing his 10th game in a row — left the Warriors very thin on athletic wings available to play against Memphis. Because of this, head coach Steve Kerr was forced into playing lineups in which he even admits he got “too cute” with at times.

Golden State looked prime to go on a big run down the stretch of the season, but their road woes and their overall lack of effort have brought them back down to a record of 34-33. Now tied with the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves for 6th in the West, the Warriors find themselves once again jockeying for position as they fight to avoid the play-in games.

Here are the rest of today’s stories:

In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:

• The Warriors’ defense is coming undone on the road
• Player grades: Warriors vs. Grizzlies
• Warriors deliver abysmal performance in 131-110 loss to Grizzlies
• Injuries to Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic intensify West playoff chase
• Mailbag: The broken Warriors

Other Warriors News:

• Warriors find little to embrace after search for best selves on road trip (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Steve Kerr admits Warriors got ‘too cute’ starting four guards vs. Grizzlies (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Draymond Green says Dillon Brooks tried to ‘bait’ him into technical foul (ESPN)
• Dillon Brooks unloads on Draymond Green, even Steph Curry in latest Grizzlies vs Warriors (Yahoo Sports)
• Curry is the 29th-highest earning athlete in history (Sportico)

NBA News:

• Kevin Durant (ankle) expected to miss 2-3 weeks, sources say (ESPN)
• Greg Oden’s Long Walk Home (The Ringer)
• Ja Morant’s Curse of the Powerful (House of Strauss)
• Lonzo Ball is broken, and the Bulls are, too (SB Nation)
• ‘I can never say thank you enough’: How Kevin Love’s openness about mental health changed lives (SB Nation)

Some tweets to end the week:

There was a lot of drama leading up to Thursday’s game, setting the stage for a highly emotional atmosphere in Memphis. This was exactly what happened as trash talk was exchanged throughout the game and during the postgame interviews. Both teams are set to play again in Memphis next Saturday.