The Golden State Warriors are prepared to significantly alter their game plan with the threat of elimination looming.
The Warriors’ 3-1 lead in their first-round series against the Houston Rockets evaporated Friday in a 115-107 Game 6 loss at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. Golden State trailed by as many as 17 points in a game where their lack of size against a towering Houston lineup was evident.
After back-to-back decisive losses against the Rockets, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked during his postgame press conference about the possibility of reinserting Jonathan Kuminga into the rotation.
“100% he’s on the table,” answered Kerr.
“We’ve kind of found a formula here in the latter part of the season, and we’ve stayed with that formula to start the series up 3-1. Things were going well, and then obviously last two games have gone really poorly.”
Kuminga was the lone Warriors player not to take the court in Games 5 and 6 due to an illness. He likely would have been benched entirely for the series thus far had it not been for Jimmy Butler’s pelvis injury in Game 2.
Kuminga started in place of Butler in Game 3, posting seven points and two assists across 17 minutes in a 104-93 win. He was out of the rotation entirely in Game 4 once Butler returned.
The Warriors had a 23-8 record to close out the regular season following the trade that brought Butler to the Bay Area. Butler’s arrival coincided with Kuminga being sidelined due to injury. The six-time All-Star ended up taking Kuminga’s spot in the rotation entirely even after the latter got back to full health.
But with the Warriors needing another physical presence against a rugged Rockets squad, Kerr may bank on Kuminga to be an X-factor in Game 7.
