With 4 minutes and 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Jonathan Kuminga made his first appearance on the court. Given how difficult it is for coach Steve Kerr to distribute playing time among a rich roster, he was not even considered in the pregame preparations for the game against Portland.

In order to compete with the youthful agility and talent of the Trail Blazers, the Golden State Warriors required Kuminga’s spectacular performance in the final minutes. It was a wise choice by Kerr.

The Warriors recovered to defeat Portland 110-106 on Wednesday night, thanks to 31 points from Stephen Curry (despite a sluggish start) and 13 points from Kuminga (who wowed).

“I’m totally prepared,” Kuminga declared.

With 1 minute and three seconds remaining, Kuminga made all six of his field goal attempts and dunks on a beautiful alley-oop pass from Draymond Green. With 29 seconds remaining and his side leading 105-104, Kuminga also stole the ball from Toumani Camara, setting up Curry for a three-pointer.

He never let his game slip, and he was fantastic. When asked why Kuminga wasn’t playing more often, Kerr explained that it’s difficult to play 10 players. Clearly, we required his services. The game required JK, and we had to be able to keep up with Portland’s youthful energy and agility.

The Trail Blazers were led by Anfernee Simons’ 28 points. Even though he missed a free shot with one minute and eighteen seconds left, Shaedon Sharpe finished with 26 points, six boards, and five assists.

Curry scored five of the Warriors’ five long-range goals, but the team as a whole shot just 10 for 34. The Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, could only manage 11 points on 3-for-13 shooting, with just one of eight attempts coming from beyond the arc. He had a golden opportunity to tie the game with 4:49 remaining but missed his layup attempt, but he made a crucial basket at the 1:59 mark.

Even though Andrew Wiggins and Chris Paul returned from injuries that night, Portland scored 23 points off of 17 mistakes committed by Golden State. Paul missed the prior two contests due to a contusion in the nerve system of his lower left leg, and Wiggins also did not play in the two games versus the Clippers due to discomfort in his right finger.

Just 3 minutes and 37 seconds into the third quarter, Kuminga got the Warriors within 77-74 thanks to a steal and transition slam. With 10 minutes and 31 seconds remaining, Dario Saric tied the score at 86. He then shot a 3-pointer at 9 minutes and 26 seconds.

According to Kuminga, “our job as young guys” is to do exactly what he did out there. “Energy, we’re the young guys; it’s our job to assist the team.”

In the Blazers’ first meeting with the Warriors this season, Camara recorded 13 rebounds to help cap off a five-game road trip. The teams’ elimination from the In-Season Tournament resulted in the addition of this game to the calendar.

Green, who had hit at least two 3-pointers in three consecutive games before going cold, came close to a triple-double with ten points, ten boards, and nine assists.

Early in the first quarter, Scoot Henderson, a rookie from Portland, took his third foul while playing against the Warriors. Curry had been a mentor to Henderson and his family in the spring, before the NBA draft, and this was Henderson’s first encounter with the Warriors.

With a three-game winning streak and a six-game home winning streak over Portland, Golden State is in dominant form.

Along with Thompson, Kevon Looney now has 214 consecutive regular-season games played, putting him in tenth place all-time for the organization.