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.

Near the end of the third quarter, at 4:45, Jonathan Kuminga made his first appearance on the court. Due to the difficulty in distributing playing time among a deep roster, coach Steve Kerr did not include him in his pregame preparations for the match against Portland.

The Golden State Warriors relied on Kuminga’s clutch performance in the final minutes to overcome the youthful energy and agility of the Portland Trail Blazers. Kerr’s choice was successful.

On Wednesday night, the Warriors recovered to defeat Portland 110-106 thanks to 31 points from Stephen Curry, who battled through a poor start, and 13 points from Kuminga, who shined.

“I’m always prepared,” Kuminga declared.

Kuminga kicked all six field goal attempts and dunks on a beautiful alley-oop pass from Draymond Green with 1 minute and three seconds remaining. In the final 29 seconds of the game, with Kuminga’s team leading 105-104, Toumani Camara had the ball stolen from them, setting up Curry for a three-pointer.

He was fantastic; his readiness was crucial to the victory. Kerr explained that Kuminga was benched because it’s difficult to play ten players. He was clearly indispensable to us. We needed to be able to match Portland’s youth and agility, but the game called for JK nevertheless.

For the Trail Blazers, Anfernee Simons was the hero with 28 points. With 1:18 seconds left on the clock, Shaedon Sharpe had 26 points, six boards, and five assists, but he was unable to convert a free throw.