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Revenge is a dish best served cold and Hawks' recently acquired forward Jonathan Kuminga can curate a supper menu that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of the Golden State Warriors when the two face each other at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 21. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
Kuminga was brought to Atlanta in a Feb. 5 trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Bay Area in return. As he was finally freed from the shackles which held him back with Golden State, Kuminga dropped 27 points in his first game for the Atlanta Hawks in a Feb. 24 blowout win against the Washington Wizards.
It was a vindicating performance that he needed to boost his confidence after being buried on the Warriors' bench with coach's decision DNPs for months before the trade.
Kuminga has averaged 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds on 56% field goal shooting in six games, including one start, for the Hawks. Their record in that span: 6-0. They faced the Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazer and Wizards, twice.
For what it's worth, Atlanta was rolling, having won 11 consecutive games before taking a 117-95 loss to Houston Rockets on March 20. Kuminga sat out against Houston with a left knee injury, but is cleared of the team's injury report and expected to play against the Warriors, as of March 21.
NBA TANK WATCH: Teams eye high draft picks, early vacations
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is prepared to face Kuminga and welcomes the reunion. He told The Athletic's Nick Friedell that he wants the 23-year-old to have success in the league.
"I can tell you that everybody likes JK. Everybody on our team wants the best for him. I want the best for him," Kerr said.
Although Kerr was scrutinized as the ring leader that stunted Kuminga's growth, he admits that the Congolese standout might have been better off not being drafted by Golden State in 2021.
"I think this is part of the modern NBA," Kerr said to The Athletic. “You’re getting guys who are so inexperienced. I will tell you, the optimal circumstance for JK when he entered the NBA would have been to go to a bad team. Instead, he came to a championship team."
He added: "The way to develop in this league is to play 30, 35 minutes every night, make your mistakes, learn from your mistakes, grow, be able to do it out of the spotlight. And he wasn’t able to do any of those things (here), and I recognize that. That’s why I’m really hoping that the change in scenery will be what he needed."
Bay Area sports radio host Dan Devone probably spoke for the entire Bay when he said that he wants Kuminga to do really well against the Warriors.
"I'm just saying that I hope that he does really well," Devone said on 95.7 The Game. "I just don't like the way he was treated. I'm not defending him for the last five years, I'm not his agent. I'm just saying the last two months I think that Dunleavy piling on, you didn’t need to go there that we can’t trade for the guy essentially is what you’re saying. He knew what he was doing. That was a dog whistle he did not have to send out. That was just unprofessional."
Devone added: "I don’t know what Steve Kerr was thinking the last couple of months, it was just weird. So yeah, I hope Jonathan Kuminga goes off for one night and gets the last laugh and I hope it’s tonight."
Kuminga being swapped for Porzingis could not have come at a better time for Atlanta. Porzingis has been in-and-out of the Warriors' lineup since being traded. He's dealt with lingering injuries and illnesses. Most recently, he left the Warriors' game against the Detroit Pistons early with back spasms on March 20.
According to the NBA injury report, Porzingis is listed out against his former Hawks team with left lower back tightness.
The Warriors have trended downward having dealt with a myriad of injuries. They have six players listed as out against Atlanta: Stephen Curry (knee), Seth Curry (adductor strain), Jimmy Butler (torn ACL), Al Horford (right soleus), Moses Moody (right wrist), along with Porzingis.
The injury report also includes additional players listed as questionable for the game. Draymond Green is managing a lower back injury, De'Anthony Melton is nursing a left knee injury, Gary Payton II is dealing with right knee soreness and Quinten Post, who turned 26 today, is questionable feeling out a right foot injury. Two-way player Malevy Leons was listed a questionable with a right wrist sprain.
Golden State has lost 15 of their previous 21 games. They enter the contest against Atlanta with a 33-37 record, which has them planted at the No. 10-seed in the postseason race, the final spot for a NBA Play-In berth.
It's a long shot for them to fall out of contention, as they sit 8.5 games ahead of the 11th-placed New Orleans Pelicans. But with 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Warriors are focused on building consistency in their day-to-day output, but most importantly, getting healthy.
On a positive note, the latest update on Curry is that he's making good progress, the team said in a news release.
"He has intensified his individual on-court workouts and, as next steps, he will be incorporated into live action and team practices in the coming days," the team announced referring to Curry's injury. "He will be re-evaluated again after the team returns home next week."
The Hawks, on the other hand, have progressed and could be a real threat to surprise some teams in the East. Atlanta has a 38-32 record, which has them sitting at the No. 7-seed, but they may not end the season there.
Currently, the sixth-place Orlando Magic have a 0.5 game lead ahead of the Hawks for the sixth spot which earns an automatic playoff berth. With 12 games remaining, the Hawks can prove to be one of the biggest surprises of the 2025-26 season.
For Kuminga personally, it's a huge turnaround to his season after being buried on the bench for months.
Here are the sports-betting odds for the Warriors vs. Hawks and Kuminga's projected stat line on March 21, courtesy of BetMGM.
Here are Jonathan Kuminga's statistical projections, courtesy of BetMGM.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga have revenge game against Warriors?
Continue reading...
Kuminga was brought to Atlanta in a Feb. 5 trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Bay Area in return. As he was finally freed from the shackles which held him back with Golden State, Kuminga dropped 27 points in his first game for the Atlanta Hawks in a Feb. 24 blowout win against the Washington Wizards.
It was a vindicating performance that he needed to boost his confidence after being buried on the Warriors' bench with coach's decision DNPs for months before the trade.
Kuminga has averaged 14.8 points and 7.5 rebounds on 56% field goal shooting in six games, including one start, for the Hawks. Their record in that span: 6-0. They faced the Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazer and Wizards, twice.
For what it's worth, Atlanta was rolling, having won 11 consecutive games before taking a 117-95 loss to Houston Rockets on March 20. Kuminga sat out against Houston with a left knee injury, but is cleared of the team's injury report and expected to play against the Warriors, as of March 21.
NBA TANK WATCH: Teams eye high draft picks, early vacations
Everyone is rooting for Jonathan Kuminga
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is prepared to face Kuminga and welcomes the reunion. He told The Athletic's Nick Friedell that he wants the 23-year-old to have success in the league.
"I can tell you that everybody likes JK. Everybody on our team wants the best for him. I want the best for him," Kerr said.
Although Kerr was scrutinized as the ring leader that stunted Kuminga's growth, he admits that the Congolese standout might have been better off not being drafted by Golden State in 2021.
"I think this is part of the modern NBA," Kerr said to The Athletic. “You’re getting guys who are so inexperienced. I will tell you, the optimal circumstance for JK when he entered the NBA would have been to go to a bad team. Instead, he came to a championship team."
He added: "The way to develop in this league is to play 30, 35 minutes every night, make your mistakes, learn from your mistakes, grow, be able to do it out of the spotlight. And he wasn’t able to do any of those things (here), and I recognize that. That’s why I’m really hoping that the change in scenery will be what he needed."
Bay Area sports radio host Dan Devone probably spoke for the entire Bay when he said that he wants Kuminga to do really well against the Warriors.
"I'm just saying that I hope that he does really well," Devone said on 95.7 The Game. "I just don't like the way he was treated. I'm not defending him for the last five years, I'm not his agent. I'm just saying the last two months I think that Dunleavy piling on, you didn’t need to go there that we can’t trade for the guy essentially is what you’re saying. He knew what he was doing. That was a dog whistle he did not have to send out. That was just unprofessional."
Devone added: "I don’t know what Steve Kerr was thinking the last couple of months, it was just weird. So yeah, I hope Jonathan Kuminga goes off for one night and gets the last laugh and I hope it’s tonight."
Two teams headed in different directions
Kuminga being swapped for Porzingis could not have come at a better time for Atlanta. Porzingis has been in-and-out of the Warriors' lineup since being traded. He's dealt with lingering injuries and illnesses. Most recently, he left the Warriors' game against the Detroit Pistons early with back spasms on March 20.
According to the NBA injury report, Porzingis is listed out against his former Hawks team with left lower back tightness.
The Warriors have trended downward having dealt with a myriad of injuries. They have six players listed as out against Atlanta: Stephen Curry (knee), Seth Curry (adductor strain), Jimmy Butler (torn ACL), Al Horford (right soleus), Moses Moody (right wrist), along with Porzingis.
The injury report also includes additional players listed as questionable for the game. Draymond Green is managing a lower back injury, De'Anthony Melton is nursing a left knee injury, Gary Payton II is dealing with right knee soreness and Quinten Post, who turned 26 today, is questionable feeling out a right foot injury. Two-way player Malevy Leons was listed a questionable with a right wrist sprain.
Golden State has lost 15 of their previous 21 games. They enter the contest against Atlanta with a 33-37 record, which has them planted at the No. 10-seed in the postseason race, the final spot for a NBA Play-In berth.
It's a long shot for them to fall out of contention, as they sit 8.5 games ahead of the 11th-placed New Orleans Pelicans. But with 12 games remaining in the regular season, the Warriors are focused on building consistency in their day-to-day output, but most importantly, getting healthy.
On a positive note, the latest update on Curry is that he's making good progress, the team said in a news release.
"He has intensified his individual on-court workouts and, as next steps, he will be incorporated into live action and team practices in the coming days," the team announced referring to Curry's injury. "He will be re-evaluated again after the team returns home next week."
The Hawks, on the other hand, have progressed and could be a real threat to surprise some teams in the East. Atlanta has a 38-32 record, which has them sitting at the No. 7-seed, but they may not end the season there.
Currently, the sixth-place Orlando Magic have a 0.5 game lead ahead of the Hawks for the sixth spot which earns an automatic playoff berth. With 12 games remaining, the Hawks can prove to be one of the biggest surprises of the 2025-26 season.
For Kuminga personally, it's a huge turnaround to his season after being buried on the bench for months.
Golden State Warriors vs. Atlanta Hawks: odds, projections
Here are the sports-betting odds for the Warriors vs. Hawks and Kuminga's projected stat line on March 21, courtesy of BetMGM.
- Spread: Hawks by 10.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: Over 228.5 (-115); Under 228.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Hawks -500; Warriors +375
Jonathan Kuminga projections
Here are Jonathan Kuminga's statistical projections, courtesy of BetMGM.
- Points: 20+ (yes, +333)
- Rebounds: 7+ (yes, +165)
- Combo (points, rebounds, assists): 21.5 (Over -120/Under -110)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga have revenge game against Warriors?
Continue reading...
