Jonathan Kuminga upgraded to questionable vs Houston Rockets

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr hopes to play Kuminga tonight

Jonathan Kuminga has been upgraded to questionable for tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets. Kuminga has been sidelined for the past week with knee tendinitis, but Steve Kerr indicated that he plans for Kuminga to return tonight in Houston.

This season, Kuminga has been averaging 16.3 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, and 2.1 assists per game. Kuminga’s performance, a massive jump from last year’s stats, has been crucial to keeping the Warriors in the play-in tournament conversation.

Apart from Kuminga, and Gary Payton, who is probable with left ankle soreness, everyone else is available to play tonight, per the Athletic’s Anthony Slater.

Among this “everyone else” is big man Dario Šarić, who has been sidelined with right knee pain for the past week, and has been receiving DNPs since mid-March. With two more forwards available, some weight will be taken off the shoulders of Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, who have been carrying the team in the big man department.

Tonight’s matchup versus the Rockets is incredibly important for the Warriors’ play-in chances. The Warriors currently sit at the 10th seed in the West, and if the Rockets win tonight, they will be one game closer to overtaking the Warriors’ spot with only six games left in the regular season. For both the Warriors and the Rockets, these next few games are crucial, and that’s probably why we’ve seen players like Kuminga, Payton II, and Šarić sidelined for longer than expected. For some teams, the end of the regular season is garbage time, but for this year’s Warriors, it’s time to lock in and secure their spot for the play-in.

If the Warriors remain at the 10th seed, they will face off against the 9th-seed Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in tournament.