When you blow an 18-point fourth quarter lead, there's some explaining to do.
When you blow that lead riding an old group that looks tired, and bench a young, impact player in Jonathan Kuminga for the final 18 minutes... well, those explanations better be good.
Kuminga had 16 points (5-of-7, 0-for-1 from deep), 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 19 minutes of the 130-127, last-second loss to the Denver Nuggets. From the 5:48 mark of the third quarter on, he rode the bench.
So... the explanation? Steve Kerr chalked it up to Andrew Wiggins playing well while the Warriors were rolling, which affected Kuminga's normal rotation.
"He was playing great," Kerr said. "His normal time to go back in would have been around the 5-6 minute mark and Wiggs was playing great and we were rolling, we're up 18, 19 whatever it was.
So we just stayed with [Wiggins]. Then at that point, it didn't feel like it was the right thing to do. He'd been sitting for a while, so I stayed with the group that was out there. Obviously we couldn't close it out."
Wiggins played well in that third and early fourth quarter before struggling in the middle of the final frame.
He was replaced by Dario Saric after losing a pivotal defensive rebound chance to Aaron Gordon, who grabbed the board and drew a pair of free throws. Gordon had 15 points and 3 rebounds in the fourth quarter of a 30-point, 9-rebound night.
Kuminga, meanwhile, played the fewest minutes of the nine players who stepped on the court for the Warriors and was third on the team in scoring. Golden State was outscored 36-20 in the fourth quarter. The Warriors led 123-105 with 6:40 left in the game.
Fairly or not, criticism is frequently levied in Kerr's direction for not playing young players. Sometimes that criticism seems more reasonable than on other nights.
This is one situation that makes a veteran-oriented approach hard to stomach. It will certainly increase the pressure on Kerr to play the kids, especially in situations when those old legs seem desperate for a rest, or a young spark.
