Kuminga injures knee, ankle; holding off on MRI

DALLAS -- Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga twisted his left ankle and hyperextended his left knee during a second-quarter drive Thursday night in a 123-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

The team ruled out Kuminga, who returned to the Warriors' rotation Tuesday, because of knee soreness. After initial testing on the ankle and knee, neither issue is believed to be serious, a league source told ESPN.

Kuminga, who limped out of the locker room postgame, told ESPN the knee was bothering him more and that he would wait to see how it felt Friday morning before deciding whether to get an MRI.

Before exiting, Kuminga scored 10 points in nine minutes off the bench against Dallas while helping lead the Warriors in a first-half comeback. They were plus-18 with him on the floor.

But his night ended early after landing awkwardly on a drive with about four minutes left in the half. He was fouled on the play, made both free throws and temporarily tried to remain in the game. But after limping around the court for a couple of possessions, Kuminga asked out and went to the locker room with a trainer.

The trade deadline is in two weeks. Kuminga's animosity toward the organization remains, league sources said, as does his desire to be traded elsewhere in the near future.

But in the meantime, if deemed healthy enough, he is expected to be a major part of the Warriors' rotation in the aftermath of Jimmy Butler III's season-ending ACL tear on Monday night. Before Butler's injury, Kuminga hadn't played in 16 straight games, buried at the end of Kerr's rotation while his future was being sorted out.

But Kerr was forced to go back to Kuminga on Tuesday night, and he responded with 20 points in 21 bench minutes, earning another opportunity Thursday night against the Mavericks.

Asked what Kuminga needs to give the Warriors, Stephen Curry said, "Exactly what he did."

"Pick and choose his spots when to attack," he said. "He made some great, [quick decisions], swing it to the open man. If he has a one-on-one situation with space, score the basketball. It's a tribute to him staying ready."

The Warriors have lost both games since learning Butler's season was over, falling to 25-21 after winning 12 of their previous 16 with Butler.

"It's no secret this is difficult for everyone to accept the reality of what's going on," Curry said. "As long as I'm out there, I'm always confident we can win."