Congolese power forward Jonathan Kuminga powered the Golden State Warriors to a hard-fought 120-114 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers with 17 points, six rebounds, and three 3s.
The 21-year-old, who played 23 minutes of the California derby at Chase Center on Thursday night, finished with his third-most points this season to help Golden State to just their third win in eleven games.
W on #WarriorsGround ???? pic.twitter.com/PAvA7JCoLI
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 1, 2023
The shorthanded Warriors, who were without Chris Paul, Gary Payton II, and Andrew Wiggins, led by as many as 18 points in the first half, and unlike their disappointing, crumbling performance in the NBA in-season tournament against the Sacramento Kings, they held onto their lead this time out.
Two-time league MVP Steph Curry led all scorers with 26 points, along with seven rebounds and eight assists, despite not attempting a shot until late in the first quarter.
Klay Thompson finished with 22 points, including a vital 10-point flurry in the fourth quarter for his fourth 20- or more-point game this season. The Warriors had seven scorers in total with double figures, with Draymond Green, Dario Saric, Moses Moody, and rookie Brandin Podziemski all scoring 13 points apiece.
Final ????
Stephen – 26p/7r/8a/1s/1b
Klay – 22p/6r/2a/1b
Jonathan – 17p/6r/3a/1s/1b
Brandin – 13p/8r/2a
Dario – 13p/5r/5a/1s
Draymond – 13p/5r/5a
Moses – 13p/3r/1a/1b
Kevon – 2p/5r/2a
Cory – 1p/2r/2a pic.twitter.com/tA4zvQqSiO— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 1, 2023
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 23 points and seven rebounds; Ivica Zubac added 18 points and 13 rebounds; James Harden finished with 18 points and 7 assists; Paul George scored 15 points; and Russell Westbrook added 14 points and 11 rebounds off the bench as they fell to their third defeat in five games.
The Warriors improved to 9-10 in the West, while the Clippers dropped to 8-10 for the regular season. The two teams will meet once again for the second game of their back-to-back on Saturday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
