DALLAS — Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga was sidelined for the remainder of Thursday night’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks after twisting his left ankle and hyperextending his left knee during the second quarter.
The Warriors listed the injury as left knee soreness and ruled the third-year forward out for the night. Initial evaluations on both the ankle and knee indicated no major damage, according to a league source.
Kuminga had scored 10 points in nine minutes and was a plus-18 when the incident occurred. Driving to the basket early in the second period, he landed awkwardly, rolled his ankle and bent the knee. Fouled on the play, he converted both free throws, attempted to continue, but limped through several possessions before signaling to the bench and heading to the locker room with a team trainer.
The timing is notable for Kuminga, who requested a trade last week but returned to head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation after Jimmy Butler suffered an ACL tear on Monday. Prior to Tuesday’s game, where he contributed 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench, Kuminga had been a healthy scratch for 16 consecutive contests.
The NBA trade deadline is two weeks away, and league sources say Kuminga still prefers to be moved despite his recent increase in playing time.
Source: ESPN
