Kuminga out for at least 3 weeks with sprained ankle

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga will be reevaluated in three weeks after an MRI confirmed he suffered a significant lateral sprain of his right ankle, the team said Sunday.

Kuminga suffered the injury late in the second quarter of Saturday’s 121-113 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies when he landed awkwardly in the paint and sprained his right ankle. He left the game immediately and left Chase Center on crutches after the win. On Sunday he underwent an MRI.

Kuminga had been enjoying the best run of his career, receiving more opportunities and being used as the main scorer at times. He averaged 20.5 points in his last 14 games, including scoring 20 or more points in three of his previous four games and a career-high 34 points in consecutive games. But now the Warriors will be without the 22-year-old for at least three weeks. He will miss at least 11 games.

“Brutal,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said before the Warriors’ 129-99 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. “JK has been playing very well and is obviously a very important part of what we are doing. He is our most athletic scorer and finisher and has been playing very well.

“We feel good about our depth and ability to withstand their loss. Kyle [Anderson]Moses [Moody] “He will have more opportunities.”

Kuminga is averaging a career-high 16.8 points and five rebounds per game this season. Last month, he became the first Warriors player with 30 or more points in consecutive games off the bench since Cazzie Russell in 1974.

“I just don’t want to be out,” Kuminga said of the injury that occurred while he is playing his best basketball. “I want to be playing and I feel like our team is now taking off in the right direction and I would love to be there.”

Kuminga’s injury comes just over a month before the February 6 trade deadline. He was asked how he feels about his position in the Warriors organization and his future as he will become a restricted free agent this summer.

“I have said before [that] “You never know what’s going to happen,” Kuminga said. “But I’m pretty confident in where I am and I feel good about everything that’s happening.”

The Warriors are also without Brandin Podziemski (abdominal strain) and Gary Payton II (calf). Podziemski could be close to returning, as Kerr said the team was initially hopeful the point guard would have returned by Sunday before needing a little more time to recover.