Warriors news: Kuminga goes off on Rockets, Dubs extend streak, Curry status vs. Wolves

Having not tasted victory since improving to 12-3 with a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on November 22, the Golden State Warriors snapped a five-game losing streak on Thursday night with a 99-93 win over the Houston Rockets.

With both Steph Curry and Draymond Green sidelined, Steve Kerr got big games from Jonathan Kuminga (more on him in a moment) and Andrew Wiggins, who tallied 56 of Golden State's 99 points.

And Kerr certainly needed those efforts, as the rest of the team struggled shooting the basketball. While Kuminga and Wiggins shot a combined 56.8% from the floor and 60.0% from the three-point line, the remaining Warriors only connected on a dismal 30.6% of their attempts from the floor and just 16.7% of their shots from beyond the arc.

Thankfully for Golden State, the Rockets had their fair share of issues as well, shooting just 37.6% from the floor and 26.3% from distance.

Wiggins had the hot hand early, scoring a dozen points in the second quarter alone, which included a pair of four-point plays. He ultimately ended the night with 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting and added nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block.

But the game's later stages belonged to Kuminga, where we'll kick things off.

Jonathan Kuminga scored a career-high 33 points in the Warriors' win over the Rockets

Back on November 2, Kuminga scored what was then a season-high 23 points against these same Rockets, hitting seven of 12 shots from the floor and two of three from deep in a 127-121 overtime victory, a game in which he made the difference as six of his points came in the extra frame.

And he was the difference yet again on Thursday night. But not only did he record a new season high, the 22-year-old notched a new career best, hitting 13 of 22 shots from the field and three of six from the three-point line en route to 33 points, 14 of which came in the fourth quarter.

With the Warriors up 96-93 in the waning seconds, Kuminga, who hit six of eight shots in the final frame, put the game away with a driving layup with just over 16 ticks left on the clock, giving Golden State a five-point lead.

Golden State has now defeated Houston 15 consecutive times

With the victory, the Warriors have now defeated the Rockets in 15 straight games, extending the longest winning streak in the series since these two teams began battling in 1967..

Prior to this run, the longest winning streak in the series belonged to Houston, who took 11 straight from 1993 to 1995.

The last time the Rockets beat the Warriors was on February 20, 2020. But they'll get another crack to end the drought soon, as these two teams will meet again next Wednesday in Houston.

Steve Kerr says Steph Curry will play against the Timberwolves on Friday night

As mentioned, Steph Curry sat out Thursday night's game with Houston, with the official injury report saying he was sidelined due to "bilateral knee management."

Ahead of the matchup with Houston, Kerr offered more clarity on what that means, telling the media that his 10-time All-Star has tendinitis in both knees and has been playing through the pain, also saying that Golden State's medical staff has been working with him so it doesn't become a more severe issue as the season progresses.

As for Curry's status against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, Kerr says the plan is for him to play.

Regarding Draymond Green, who has missed the Warriors' last two games with a calf injury, Kerr says it's "possible" he could suit up against Minnesota as well.