Jonathan Kuminga didn’t make it to the second half of Tuesday night’s preseason game.
The Golden State Warriors forward was thrown out of their 118-111 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the final moments of the second quarter after he made contact with an official while arguing for a call. That led to an immediate technical foul and ejection.
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Kuminga was driving to the rim at the Moda Center trying to get a bucket to fall before the buzzer sounded, though he missed the layup after thinking that he drew contact in the middle of the lane. As play went the other way to wrap up the quarter, Kuminga got into the official’s face and made contact with him — which will lead to an ejection every time.
Kuminga had 7 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 18 minutes when he left.
Tuesday’s outing was Kuminga’s third this preseason, and came just weeks after he landed a new two-year, $48.5 million deal to return to the franchise after months of uncertainty. Kuminga and the Warriors had been in a contract dispute throughout the offseason that frequently felt like it was going nowhere. The new deal now means that Kuminga will be eligible to be traded in January, which is something that is reportedly likely to be explored at a minimum.
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Kuminga, who the Warriors took with the No. 7 overall pick in 2021, averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 30.5% from behind the arc last season. The 23-year-old missed significant time last season due to an ankle injury he went down with in January, but he returned in time for the postseason.
The Trail Blazers took a five-point lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Warriors surged ahead in the fourth quarter to grab the seven-point win. Stephen Curry dropped 28 points while shooting 4-of-11 from the 3-point line, and Quinten Post added 16 points off the bench.
All five of the Trail Blazers’ starters hit double figures in the loss. Shaedon Sharpe led the way with 18 points after he shot 7-of-16 from the field. Donovan Clingan added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Deni Avdija finished with 15 points.
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The Warriors have one game left, Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers, in their preseason slate. They will open the regular season on Oct. 21 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
