The Golden State Warriors downed the Houston Rockets 99-93 on Thursday night, which snapped their five-game losing streak.
The Warriors were without superstar Stephen Curry (rest) and four-time All-Star Draymond Green (calf) for the contest. Golden State’s next men up rose to the occasion, especially down the stretch, and offered hope for what the team can accomplish once their vanguards return.
Good news: Jonathan Kuminga shows superstar potential
Jonathan Kuminga was dominant against Houston. The Democratic Republic of the Congo native scored a game-high 33 points, but the way he got his buckets was what was most promising. Kuminga could not be stopped when going downhill and finished at the rim in traffic with ease. He also showed proficiency from downtown, going 3-6 from three-point range.
The 22-year-old talent had a fourth quarter to remember with 14 points on 6-8 shooting from the field. When the Rockets tried to make a final surge down the stretch on the back of Alperen Sengun, Kuminga quelled that spark with a couple of clutch buckets inside five minutes leading up to a game-sealing layup that put the Dubs up 98-93 with 16.2 seconds to go.
Golden State is hoping that Kuminga can emerge into the superstar talent he was envisioned to be as soon as he first touched an NBA floor. This showing gave hope to that.
Bad news: Warriors needed a floor general vs. Rockets’ elite half-court defense
The Warriors got the win, but it was not very pretty for much of the affair. The biggest thing missing from Golden State’s repertoire was a floor general to get the offense moving. Curry (6.6 assists per game) and Green (six APG) account for 42.4 percent of the team’s 29.7 assists per contest.
That void left by the Warriors’ leaders was felt on Thursday night. No Warriors player dished out more than three assists in the game. They also were not as effective as they could be in putting the offense in motion, relying on Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody to bring the ball up often. Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins were also the only players to score in double figures.
To make matters worse, the Rockets employed an exemplary half-court defense. They excelled at impeding Warriors slashers from beating them off the dribble and gaining momentum after their second dribble. Houston would either have a second defender help block off driving lanes or see their individual ball-stoppers do exactly that. This win may have exposed a need the Warriors have to pursue a true point guard to backup Curry in the open market.
Good news: Andrew Wiggins played up to expectations
The Warriors would not have earned their 13th win of the season without Wiggins’ exceptional play. Wiggins scored 23 points and had a pair of four-point plays in the affair that raised the decibel level at the Chase Center.
The Kansas product showed that he could make things happen in the half-court and became more aggressive as the game wore on. While he at times fell victim to getting trapped on the wings, Wiggins was otherwise efficient as a scorer and ball-handler. He added nine rebounds, reminding all of his scintillating capabilities on the boards.
Golden State needs Wiggins to play like the All-Star he once was on a nightly basis. What he put forth against Houston is that benchmark he should incessantly strive for.
Looking ahead, the Warriors will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in their next matchup on Friday night. They could get both Curry and Green back for the game.