Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski shouldn’t have had to step up to save the Golden State Warriors.
They outscored the Houston Rockets in the first half on Saturday night, taking an apparently insurmountable 28-point lead into halftime with scorching shooting, a stifling defense, and significantly better camaraderie and unity. In addition to Golden State’s incredible 18 free throws and six minutes without a field goal between the late third and early fourth quarters, which were entirely overshadowed by the Rockets’ switch-everything defense, Houston’s improbable comeback was led by the tenacious two-way efforts of Tari Eason and Amen Thompson.
The shorthanded Dubs even pulled themselves back in position for what appeared to be a certain victory late on after suddenly falling behind in crucial situations. With 8.3 seconds remaining, they had a two-point lead when Draymond Green airmailed an inbounds pass to Andrew Wiggins. Then, for no apparent reason, he fouled Eason on a drive, sending him to the bench permanently with a disqualifying sixth foul in addition to sending Houston’s live-wire forward to the free throw line to tie the game.
The Rockets missed their first five shots and fell behind by many possessions, denying Golden State a chance to blow a lead in OT. However, Golden State’s escape from H-Town with a wildly impressive 127-121 triumph required a similarly eye-opening series of individual scoring skills from Kuminga in the extra session that Podziemski exhibited over the final few minutes of the fourth quarter.
“I was so proud of the guys for the way they responded to what was an onslaught from Houston that second half, and especially fourth quarter,” Steve Kerr said on the postgame podium. “Great experience. To win after Draymond fouls out, to win without Steph, to win on a night when a game just completely flipped.
“It’s great to have that game on tape, it’s great to feel it,” he continued, “because we’re gonna have to get better when we face that kind of defense.”
Brandin Podziemski, Jonathan Kuminga will Warriors to victory
The Dubs’ overall speed and consistency of movement in the halfcourt and transition dominated Houston early on. By benching his team’s key players, Ime Udoka was able to address the ripple issue. Alperen Sengun spent the whole fourth quarter and overtime on the bench, with Jalen Green spending the majority of those 17 minutes beside him.
There are many aggressive, adaptable, and disruptive defenders on the Rockets roster. Sengun and Green don’t fit that description, which causes Houston to make jumbled rotations in the midst of the Warriors’ constant movement and screening of players both on and off the ball. The most reliable way to steer clear of those errors? Creating lineups that can transition between five places with ease, eliminating the need for any defensive connectivity or communication.
Udoka’s decision was made simpler by Curry’s absence. However, Podziemski’s ability to score points in those forced one-on-one situations was something Houston couldn’t have relied on.
“Brandin made some huge shots down the stretch of regulation,” Kerr said. “We should’ve put it away at that point.”
As the Warriors and Rockets traded leads in the final minutes of regulation, Podziemski made three of his five field goals. Going past Jalen Green for an isolation bucket with power, skill, and footwork is one thing.
Joe Lacob and other team power brokers have predicted that Podziemski will become a star since he used the same strategy to score on a defender of Thompson’s caliber and then went one-on-one at the top of the floor for a turnaround over Jabari Smith Jr.
“I’m slow myself, so I never try to get sped up. But the one thing my people back home have just been stressing to me is when they speed up you slow down, and when they try to slow you down you speed up,” Podziemski said of his scoring binge after the game. “So just kinda took that into consideration, and I know they were all amped because they were on a run so they’re trying to be extra aggressive, and when they get extra aggressive you just slow down and play at your pace. I think guys like Luka, even Steph, do a really good job of that. So for me, not having Steph out there and being the floor general, that was just my mindset.”
Meanwhile, following the final buzzer of regular, Kuminga drew on his unique identity as a scorer.
In the first half, he carefully took advantage of Green’s size advantage to score points and make free throws. He immediately returned to similar success to start the second half. However, his last two baskets not only carried the greatest weight in Golden State’s triumph, but they also best demonstrated his unique combination of superior physical prowess and developing ball skills.
“We needed JK’s ability to beat the switches and get downhill, and he just took over,” Kerr said. “He was fantastic.”
It is nevertheless reasonable to assume that Podziemski and Kuminga have greater significance for this team’s long-term prospects than for the here and now. The Warriors are preparing for life after Curry, and it is evident that they value both young players highly after declining to make them available in trade negotiations for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen throughout the summer. The best basketball from Podziemski and Kuminga will come in years, not months.
However, despite inconsistent starts to 2024–25, it is evident that Golden State’s highly regarded combination has settled down, raising the question of how good Podziemski and Kuminga can be throughout the 82-game grind and into the playoffs.
