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Sunday night, the Golden State Warriors summer league team lost a nail-biter in overtime to the New Orleans Pelicans 80 to 79.
With seconds left on the clock, Dubs’ rookie Jonathan Kuminga made a spectacular defensive play at the rim. It initially resulted in a goaltending violation. The Warriors requested a challenge. After review, the officiating crew announced the play was overturned, and Kuminga was rewarded the block.
Since it’s ruled a rejection, the tip-in by Pelicans rookie Trey Murphy III counted and gave them the lead. With 1.3 seconds left on the clock, the Warriors were forced into a bad shot, and the game was over.
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In the postgame interview, Kuminga shared his mindset about stepping up when needed, even though they fell short of winning. His response probably made Draymond Green smile.
“That’s what winners do. At the end of the day, I always say I’m a winner. I’ll do anything to help my team win. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Summer League game or a real game. That’s what I always do. That’s what I love to do play defense and make winning plays,” the Warriors rookie told ClutchPoints.
It was a showdown between the No. 7 pick Jonathan Kuminga and the 17th pick in the NBA Draft Trey Murphy III. Both made big-time plays throughout the game. Kuminga finished with 17 points on 5-12 shooting from the field, while his opponent Murphy III registered a game-high 22 points and the game winning put-back.
Moses Moody didn’t play against the Pelicans, but he and Kuminga have shown they will not be busts. Will they end up as superstars? Time will tell. One thing that’s for sure is they are two of the best rookies in this draft class, and Warriors Nation should be very excited about their future.