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Jonathan Kuminga's eighth consecutive make in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Thursday was another sign he could still make a real difference for the Golden State Warriors before their already-arduous playoff run ends.
Watching from the strong corner as the Minnesota Timberwolves defense stonewalled Jimmy Butler's drive, he faked up the floor around a flare screen from Brandin Podziemski before moving along the baseline. Kuminga was open at the rim for a blip after his back cut fooled Naz Reid, but the ball never found him.
The Dubs' halfcourt offense never stops when its humming, a controlled chaos of motion the former No. 7 overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft has struggled to grasp—and is especially vital to team success whenever Stephen Curry is unavailable, let alone facing a defense like the Minnesota Timberwolves' in May.
Kuminga mostly played like he's always understood that recipe in Golden State's blowout 117-93 loss on Thursday, even spearheading a second-half run that turned a raucous Target Center crowd suddenly silent. His splashed relocation corner triple off a kickout from Brandin Podziemski cut the Warriors' once 22-point deficit to seven midway through the third quarter.
It's no coincidence the Warriors' long-shot comeback ended with Kuminga's final made basket. They never got closer in Game 2, falling behind by double digits again for good less than 20 seconds later. Kuminga missed his next three shots before Steve Kerr waved the white flag with 4:03 left in the fourth quarter, content to head back to the Bay Area with the series tied 1-1.
Curry's strained hamstring isn't Golden State's only cause for concern despite stealing home-court advantage in Minneapolis, though.
No matter how long their superstar is unavailable, Game 2 provided further evidence the Dubs' underdog hopes of a championship will die without more consistency from an overmatched supporting cast that's left Kerr searching for answers since the postseason tipped off.
Warriors can't count on Moses Moody after all
Remember when Moses Moody slid so seamlessly into a starting role with the new-look Dubs, ostensibly filling their need for a 3-and-D wing next to Curry, Butler, and Draymond Green? Forgive yourself if that seemingly crucial development seems hazy despite the fact he also started the first two games of the playoffs.
Moody has been even more lost since the early portion of the first round, when the Houston Rockets poked at his offensive limitations by making All-Star center Alperen Sengun his primary defender.
These baffling Game 2 bricks don't exactly suggest Moody will find the confidence that helped him recently emerge as such a two-way stabilizer any time soon.
He went scoreless Thursday in 16 minutes off the bench, adding two rebounds and an assist. The only one of Moody's five misses that didn't come from beyond the arc is that cringe of a transition push-shot above. The remaining three-point attempts were just as ugly as Moody's first. He's down to 30.8% from deep in the playoffs overall, clanking his last 14 tries.
Not quick enough to contain Anthony Edwards off the bounce nor disruptive enough off ball to make a major impact defensively, Moody might be at risk of losing minutes to deep reserve Kevin Knox against Minnesota unless he rediscovers his jumper.
Either way, his rapid deterioration from playoff starter to bench question mark is another unforeseen obstacle the Warriors will have to navigate on their quest for a title.
Quentin Post and Pat Spencer aren't playoff answers for Warriors
Golden State reacted to Curry's Game 2 absence by re-inserting Quentin Post as a starter, a prudent approach on paper given the spacing and size he provides in the frontcourt next to Butler and Green.
The rookie big man was hardly the driving force behind the Warriors falling behind 13-0 after the opening tip, but his inability to affect the game on either end versus the Wolves was clear, nonetheless.
Kerr knew it almost immediately, pulling Post for Moody after his team's disastrous three-minute and 18-second stint to start the game. Post never got back on the floor, finishing without a single stat in the box score for the second time since Game 7 in H-Town. The Dubs dusted off Trayce Jackson-Davis to be their primary frontcourt reserve while the action continued.
Post's only other playoff start came with Butler out against the Rockets, a Game 3 home win for Golden State. No matter when Curry returns, don't expect the Amsterdam native to be on the floor for tipoff again or even be relied upon for a significant role off the bench.
He's now combined for roughly 12 minutes over the last three games, failing to get up a shot from the field and grabbing just one rebound. Post's time as a rotation fixture is done until further notice.
Curry's hamstring injury also paved the way for another fan-favorite bench player to get extended burn in Game 2.
Pat Spencer entered midway through the first quarter as Kerr's 10th man, trying to instantly give the short-handed, sleepy Warriors a jolt with an ambitious dunk attempt in traffic.
What was originally called a shooting foul on Rudy Gobert was ultimately overturned to a no-call following a challenge by Chris Finch. Spencer, shocker, just didn't quite have the requisite length and explosiveness to posterize Gobert and Jaden McDaniels.
The mere possibility of such a play speaks to the former undrafted free agent's underrated physical profile and all-around competitive gumption. Golden State wasn't counting on Spencer for viral highlights or extra offensive aggression, though, and he didn't hold up on both sides within general flow of the game.
Casual drives to nowhere like this one from the first quarter are inexcusable for Spencer. His airborne pass had no chance of reaching Kevon Looney or Kuminga. Edwards roasting him off the dribble is far more understandable but also much less palatable for Golden State if Spencer can't project a sense of kinetic calm on the other side of the ball.
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Unlike Post, Spencer is pretty much guaranteed rotation minutes over the next three games despite his wholly underwhelming play on Thursday. He's the closest facsimile to a real point guard on this team behind Curry and Brandin Podziemski, a damning indictment of Golden State's roster construction and playable depth at the most critical point of the season.
Who can Warriors trust beyond Big Three?
Butler's steadfast hesitance to finish off penetration and force the overall issue offensively has been frustrating at times in the postseason.
Green's only means of semi-consistent scoring has come on long balls opponents are daring him to take, while both Kerr and Curry had to go out of their way to protect him from officials ejecting him in Game 2 and coming within another technical foul of an automatic one-game suspension.
Golden State, obviously, would be far better off with or without Curry if a still-hobbled Butler fully embraced “Playoff Jimmy” and Green had complete control of his wild competitive fire.
But at least Kerr and his coaching staff know pretty much exactly what to expect from Curry's fellow future Hall-of-Famers on a game-by-game basis under the playoff microscope far more than they can say for the vast majority of the roster.
Buddy Hield has certainly proven himself as an indispensable cog for the Dubs with tough shot-making and surprisingly dogged defense when pressed into playing perimeter stopper. There's latent value to his on-court presence due to those dynamics alone.
Golden State wouldn't have snuck by Houston without Hield, and he's sure to be a part of any success this team has over the next few games or few weeks.
Outside of Curry, Butler, Green and Hield, though, no player for the Warriors has done enough in the postseason to gain the lasting trust of Kerr and company.
A week-and-a-half later, Podziemski's 26-point outburst in Game 4 of the first round seems like a dream. He's averaging 8.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game since then, shooting 36.4% overall and 26.9% on triples while coughing up 10 turnovers.
The similarly steady Gary Payton II has lost his footing in the postseason, too, more likely to prove a nonfactor than the scheme-sound, disruptive impact player he was in the opener versus Minnesota and Game 3 against Houston.
Thursday's outing was easily Kuminga's finest of the playoffs but still not absent the bugaboos of grit work and decision-making that kept him out of Kerr's rotation to begin the first and second rounds.
Kuminga's motor wasn't running close to hot enough early, and his offensive utility was limited solely to one-on-one attacks and finishes around the rim or beyond the arc. The little things continue to evade Kuminga too often. He's still shown no ability to create offense for anyone other than himself.
The Dubs went 14-deep by halftime on Thursday, playing everyone available on the postseason roster, including Braxton Key. Though Curry's absence and a 48-hour turnaround played an admitted part in Golden State's refusal to “chase” Game 2, Kerr's myriad substitutions and lineup configurations also served as further evidence of uncertainty that continues to dog him.
These Warriors are a long, long way from the “Strength in Numbers” that got them off to a blistering start in 2024-25, not to mention the quality, versatile depth that Kerr rode to the franchise's first championship a decade ago.
Nearly a month into the playoffs, Golden State's top-heavy roster looks more shallow than ever—an inevitable death-knell without Curry and likely insurmountable challenge even if he returns to lead the Dubs against Minnesota.
