The Golden State Warriors handled business in Game 1 on Sunday, besting the Houston Rockets 95-85 to take an early lead in the best-of-seven series in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. It was a balanced performance by the Warriors, but one player was notably absent: fourth-year forward Jonathan Kuminga.
When healthy, Kuminga played a big role for the Warriors for most of the year. But when the playoff-level games arrived — first the win-and-you’re-in season finale against the LA Clippers, then the play-in tournament contest against the Memphis Grizzlies, and finally Sunday’s series opener — Kuminga was nowhere to be found.