NBA: Jonathan Kuminga has career night off bench as Warriors clip Suns
Dec 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) dunks the ball against the Phoenix Suns during the second quarter of an NBA game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
Reserve Jonathan Kuminga tied a career high with 34 points, leading the Golden State Warriors to a 109-105 win over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA on Saturday night in San Francisco.
Stephen Curry chipped in 22 points for Golden State, while Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis added 16 apiece. Jackson-Davis also had 10 rebounds. Dennis Schroder had 11 points as the Warriors snapped a three-game skid.
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Kevin Durant led Phoenix with 31 points. Bradley Beal contributed 28, Ryan Dunn had 15 and Josh Okogie scored 11 to go along with nine boards for the Suns, who have dropped five of their past six games.
Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 34 PTS last night…
Tonight he followed up it up with ANOTHER 34 PTS leading the @warriors to victory at home! pic.twitter.com/jVwftx0Kkm
— NBA (@NBA) December 29, 2024
Durant had Phoenix up 105-104 with 29.9 seconds to go in the fourth quarter following a pair of free throws, but the Suns would never score again. Kuminga answered with two foul shots of his own ahead of a Durant miss, and Schroder tacked on two more free throws with 12.1 seconds remaining to make it 108-105.
Beal missed a floater and a triple in the final 6.4 seconds as Phoenix came up short. The Suns had led by as many as nine earlier in the fourth quarter, when Okogie canned a 3-pointer to provide the visitors with a 100-91 advantage with 6:48 to play.
READ: NBA: Jonathan Kuminga, Warriors rout Grizzlies
After that trey, Golden State took control of the contest with a 10-0 run.
Twenty-two points from Beal before the break helped Phoenix take a 65-61 edge into intermission. Curry trimmed the Suns’ lead with a floater at the second-quarter buzzer.
Jackson-Davis went on a personal 7-0 spurt to open the third quarter and put the Warriors ahead 68-65 just 2:03 into the frame. Neither team led by more than five in the third, and the Suns carried an 87-82 advantage into the fourth.
Golden State led 34-27 following the opening quarter thanks in large part to 12 points from Kuminga.
Phoenix flipped a switch in the second, though, with Beal making good on a putback and a 3-pointer to ignite a 12-0 run that moved the Suns in front, 53-43, with 4:21 left in the first half. –Field Level Media
