The Warriors and Hawks swung a trade two months ago, but in the teams’ first meeting since the deal, none of the players involved played much of a role.
So much for the Jonathan Kuminga revenge game.
Kristaps Porzingis was in street clothes, Buddy Hield only entered in garbage time and Kuminga was ineffective in limited action as the Warriors’ second-half collapse led to a 126-110 loss on Saturday.
Although Hawks star Jalen Johnson (shoulder) was ruled out before tipoff, Kuminga still came off the bench for Atlanta and was held scoreless for his first seven attempts from the field. Instead, it was Dyson Daniels who stepped up and played a starring role with 28 points.
What it means
The loss sent the Warriors (33-38) five games below .500 for the first time since they were 19-24 two seasons ago. The franchise hasn’t been six games under water since the injury-riddled 2019-20 season ended in a 15-50 finish. That’s also the last time Steph Curry missed significant time.
Golden State has lost 10 of 12 to send it into 10th place in the West.
Turning point
The Warriors’ first handful of possessions of the second half, which resulted in five turnovers, a couple missed shots and just one bucket as a 63-61 halftime deficit quickly swelled to double digits.
Golden State largely controlled the first half but wasn’t ready to play coming out of intermission and set the tone for the rest of the game. Atlanta scored 17 of the first 19 points in a 39-20 third quarter and never looked back.
MVP: Mike Dunleavy Jr.
The Warriors GM should sleep easy after Kuminga’s showing in his first game against his former team. Kuminga’s first and only points came two minutes into the fourth quarter, with Atlanta already leading by more than 20. He finished 1 of 9 from the field and was minus-6 in 22 minutes off the bench in a 16-point win.
Hield has played 19 total minutes since the trade, including the final 4:22 he logged once things were officially out of hand. Porzingis was ruled out with low back soreness that forced him to the locker room early Friday, but he has appeared in as many games for the Warriors as Kuminga has so far in Atlanta (seven).
Stat of the game: Plus-143 vs. Minus-88
With all the Warriors’ injuries and Johnson out for the Hawks, neither team started its usual group, but Atlanta’s starting five dominated those early minutes of the third quarter.
That stretch was reflected in the cumulative plus-minus for each group.
Up next
The Warriors close out their road trip Monday against the Mavericks seeking to pick up their second win of the six-game trip. Before then, Curry (knee) will participate in a scrimmage Sunday that will determine his outlook for the final 11 games of the regular season.