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Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer
SAN FRANCISCO — Jonathan Kuminga suffered a “significant” right ankle sprain, and the Golden State Warriors could be without him for an extended period of time, head coach Steve Kerr said.
Kuminga left Chase Center on crutches and will undergo an MRI after he landed awkwardly and appeared to roll his right ankle in the paint. He left the game right after that with 2:27 left in the second quarter, but the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 121-113.
Kuminga, who finished with 13 points and made 3-of-3 from behind the arc, will almost certainly miss Sunday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.
“It’s a sprained ankle,” Kerr said. “We’ll have more tomorrow. It is not going to be a day-to-day thing. It was a significant sprain. So we’ll just have a report tomorrow once we get a better feel for it.”
Kuminga’s injury comes as he is playing the best basketball of his four-year career. He scored 20 or more points in three of his previous four games that included scoring a career-high 34 points in consecutive games.
But now the Warriors could be missing their most explosive athlete for some time.
“Which f—ing sucks,” Golden State’s Draymond Green said in the locker room.
Shortly after that, Kuminga walked by on crutches. Green asked Kuminga if he was OK, to which Kuminga answered, “Yes, sir.”
The Warriors are already without Brandin Podziemski (abdominal tightness) and Gary Payton II (calf). Stephen Curry (bilateral knee injury management) also sat out Saturday’s game, which was the first game of a back-to-back.
Curry is expected to play against Sacramento.
“I’m just glad we have the depth that we do,” Kerr said. “I’m glad we have Kyle [Anderson]. There was a reason we signed him and Buddy [Hield]. We added a lot of depth for this reason to be able to withstand some injuries.
“It’s going to be tough. JK has been playing the best basketball of his career these last couple of weeks, so we’re going to miss him. But Kyle will fill in well.”