Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga ejected from preseason win over Trail Blazers after making contact with official

Jonathan Kuminga didn’t make it to the second half of Tuesday night’s preseason game.

The Golden State Warriors forward was ejected from the 118-111 win over the Portland Trail Blazers in the final moments of the second quarter after making contact with an official while arguing for a call. This led to an immediate technical foul and ejection.

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Kuminga was driving to the edge of Moda Center trying to knock down a bucket before the buzzer sounded, though he missed the layup after thinking he made contact in the middle of the lane. As play went the other way to end the quarter, Kuminga got in the referee’s face and made contact with him, which would lead to an ejection each time.

Kuminga had 7 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 18 minutes when he left.

Tuesday’s outing was Kuminga’s third this preseason, and came just weeks after he earned a new two-year, $48.5 million contract to return to the franchise after months of uncertainty. Kuminga and the Warriors had been involved in a contract dispute during the offseason that often seemed to go nowhere. The new deal now means Kuminga can be traded in January, which is reportedly likely to be explored at a minimum.

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Kuminga, who the Warriors took with the No. 1 pick. 7 overall in 2021, he averaged 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 30.5% from behind the arc last season. The 23-year-old missed significant time last season with an ankle injury he suffered in January, but returned in time for the postseason.

The Trail Blazers took a five-point lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Warriors jumped ahead in the fourth quarter to pull out the seven-point victory. Stephen Curry dropped 28 points while shooting 4-of-11 from the 3-point line, and Quinten Post added 16 points off the bench.

All five Trail Blazers starters scored double figures in the loss. Shaedon Sharpe led the way with 18 points after shooting 7-of-16 from the field. Donovan Clingan added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Deni Avdija finished with 15 points.

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The Warriors have one game left on their preseason schedule, Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. They will begin the regular season on October 21st against the Los Angeles Lakers.