A general view as the Golden State Warriors bench watch play during the second half of the game Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on March 1, 2025 in Philadelphia.
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
After the Warriors blew back-to-back chances to knock the Rockets out of the NBA playoffs, it’s clear Golden State is willing to try anything to win Game 7 in Houston.
Speaking with reporters on a conference call on Saturday night, one day before the win-or-go-home matchup, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he anticipates two little-used players will getting more minutes on Sunday night: Jonathan Kuminga and Kevon Looney.
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Outside of a brief spell when Jimmy Butler got hurt, Kuminga has been buried on the end of the Golden State bench for the playoffs before he likely departs in restricted free agency. Kerr’s messaging on why Kuminga isn’t playing has been consistent for weeks, but with little else working for the Dubs, the coach sounds prepared to see if Kuminga can give the Warriors some good minutes.
Steve Kerr’s full answer on the possibility of dropping Jonathan Kuminga into the Game 7 rotation
“I thought he played well in Game 3 when we started him, especially defensively. He did a good job on Jalen Green. I think that’s an area where he can help us. On-ball defense. The…
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 4, 2025
“As I’ve made very clear, the arrival of Jimmy made the combinations much tougher for JK, so that’s what’s been standing in his way,” Kerr said. “I’ve gotta feel the game. I’d love to get him out there because I think he can help us and do that early. I think that’d be helpful for him and for us.”
But while Kerr wasn’t willing to guarantee Kuminga is going to play, there’s no doubt about Looney, the longtime Warriors center. Looney’s minutes dwindled over the past three games, and he only played two minutes on Friday. But the Warriors have been getting crushed in the minutes that Steven Adams, Houston’s veteran center, is on the floor, leading Golden State to plan an adjustment.
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“I would expect Loon to play more than he did” on Friday, Kerr said.
Steven Adams is a +53 in this series. The Rockets have a 46.3 offensive rebound rate when Adams/Sengun are on the floor together. That could mean more Kevon Looney in G7. He only played two minutes in G6.
Kerr: “I would expect Loon to play more than he did last night.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) May 4, 2025
On an episode following Friday night’s loss, it’s exactly what the “Warriors Plus Minus” podcast predicted that Kerr, Steph Curry and Draymond Green were going to do.
“This is the ‘Kevon Looney is going to play in Game 7’ podcast,” San Francisco Standard columnist Tim Kawakami said to co-hosts Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson of the Athletic. “When Draymond and Steph put their heads together, of all the available options, Kevon Looney is the one they’re going to come up with.”
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Looney was an absolute monster in the Dubs’ last Game 7 two years ago in Sacramento, grabbing 21 rebounds (10 on the offensive side) and tallying 11 points to aid Curry’s 50-point masterpiece in the win over the Kings. At the time, Looney was a consistent starter and averaged 30 minutes a game in that series.
His role has drastically diminished since, though. He only played eight minutes in last year’s play-in game against the Kings and, so far this series, he’s averaging nine minutes a game and recording just 2.7 rebounds per game. But he did grab 11 rebounds in 22 minutes in the last regular season matchup against the Rockets on April 6. If there was ever a time for Looney, it’s Sunday.
Game 7 tips off at 5:30 p.m. on TNT and NBC Sports Bay Area.
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