The Golden State Warriors have suffered quite a few painful losses this season but none were worse than Thursday’s against the Denver Nuggets.
After being up by double-digits, the Warriors let the lead slip and then watched in disbelief as Nikola Jokic scored a game-winning three.
Following the game, many fans were upset with head coach Steve Kerr and his decision to bench Jonathan Kuminga toward the end of the game.
Kerr defended his decision in a video shared by NBC Sports.
“[Kuminga] was playing great and his normal time to go back in would be around the five, six-minute mark,” Kerr said.
He added that, following that, Andrew Wiggins “was playing great, we were rolling, we were up 18, 19, whatever it was. And so we just stayed with him.”
When the lead dwindled, Kerr felt that Kuminga had been resting too much so he didn’t put him back in.
Steve Kerr explains why Jonathan Kuminga didn't see the floor down the stretch 🔽 pic.twitter.com/aoKHJhNsl9
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 5, 2024
The Warriors led by 18 points with under seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter and then completely fell apart after that.
While there is a chance that putting Kuminga back in the game wouldn’t have changed the ultimate outcome, some fans feel he could have made a difference.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that Kerr’s choices have angered faithful Warriors followers.
However, the outrage after Thursday’s game was volcanic, as people were heartbroken to see the Warriors give up another lead and fall to a 16-18 record.
The fact that Golden State was doing so well and then ended up losing did not sit well with many and they were questioning Kerr’s decision about Kuminga, among other things.
Kerr’s choice and the team’s loss will stick with Warriors fans for some time.
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