Just as Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga was finding a groove, he found himself back on the bench, this time because of knee soreness that he experienced after twisting his ankle on a second-quarter drive Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks.
More specifically, Kuminga is dealing with a minor knee hyperextension,according to ESPN's Anthony Slater, who reported that the injury isn't believed to be serious.
It was an ankle twist and minor knee hyperextension for Jonathan Kuminga, per source. He's done for the night but it isn't believed to be serious. Kuminga has 30 points in his 30 minutes since rotation return. He was a +18 before the injury tonight.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater)January 23, 2026
Kuminga's setback occurred in the Warriors' second gamesince losing six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler III for the season because of a torn ACL.
Butler's absence opened the door for Kuminga to play again. Kuminga, whom the Warriors selected No. 7 overall in the 2021 draft,endured a contract dispute this offseason. Thenhe requested a trade last weekafter being relegated to the Warriors' bench.
But now, after 16 straight DNPs, Kuminga's firmly back in the rotation. He went for 20 points in 21 minutes Tuesday in a loss to the Toronto Raptors and was following up that performance with another head-turning outing versus the Mavericks.
Kuminga checked in with 5:04 to go in the first quarter and immediately ignited an 8-0 Warriors run that he fueled with a pair of and-1s, the first on a jumper and the next on a layup.
That flurry of points gave Golden State a lead. Steve Kerr's group recovered after missing its first six shots. It took nearly six minutes for a Warriors player not named Stephen Curry to put the ball through the net.
In fact, Curry converted three of his first four field-goal attempts — all three makes were from deep, including a 28-footer — while his teammates began the night 0 of 8 from the field.
This story is being updated.
