DALLAS (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga's return to the Golden State rotation was prompted by Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury.
Now the Warriors wait for word on an injury to their apparently disgruntled player.
Kuminga injured his left ankle and knee when took an awkward step on a drive to the basket in the second quarter of a 123-115 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night. He was fouled, made the free throws and stayed in the game briefly before exiting and not returning.
Coach Steve Kerr said Kuminga would have an MRI on Friday as the Warriors continue a four-game road trip that just started. Kuminga walked gingerly in the locker room and declined to speak to reporters, saying he was hurting.
Kuminga hadn't played in a month when he scored 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench in a 145-127 loss to Toronto on Tuesday, Golden State's first game since Butler tore the ACL in his right knee.
Kerr said before the game the team had its first chance to talk about the Butler injury in the hours before playing the Mavericks, and that the club was looking forward to resetting and refocusing.
The coach also said he felt the Warriors, who currently hold one of the spots in the play-in tournament at eighth in the Western Conference, had enough depth the compete without Butler.
While he seemed noncommittal on how much a part of that rotation Kuminga would be with trade talk swirling around the fifth-year player, Kerr said he was looking forward to seeing how the team responded longer term without Butler.
“I think they all understand that we’re good enough to win games,” Kerr said before the game. “That’s the job. This is part of life, it’s part of playing in the NBA. You get some adversity, how do you respond?”
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Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (1) winds up to dunk in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks in Dallas, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Justin Foscue finally went deep for the first time in the big leagues with the Texas Rangers. That home run created a much happier highlight than the embarrassing blooper-reel moment he knows he will see often in the future after running into their two-time World Series MVP shortstop.
“Getting your first home run is a big deal. ... And I almost took out the star shortstop,” Foscue said. “A lot of ups and downs.”
Foscue, a first-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2020, hit his first career homer Saturday night in the Rangers’ 6-0 victory that snapped the Chicago Cubs’ 10-game winning streak.
“It was a big relief for me,” he said. “It is the best moment of my career so far.”
That came roughly 24 hours after he was playing second base and collided with Corey Seager, who was moving to his left to field a grounder up the middle. The ball squirted past as the infielders tumbled to the ground behind the bag. Neither was injured, but Foscue was charged with an error for causing the mishap in that 7-1 loss.
“Nobody feels worse (for) running into Corey Seager. Trust me, he did not want to do that,” Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. “I think it was big of Corey to go up to him and say, it’s gonna be all right, you know, don’t worry about it.”
Seager actually texted Foscue after that game to let him know everything was good.
“That really meant a lot,” Foscue said. “I said I’m glad you’re OK.”
Foscue had entered the series opener against the Cubs as a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning, and his RBI single produced the only Texas run. The fielding blooper to open the seventh led to three unearned runs for Chicago.
When the Rangers gave struggling Jake Burger a break Saturday night, Foscue started at first base.
“If (Seager) would have gotten hurt, then I don’t know if I would be here,” Foscue said after his 23th big league game since his debut in 2024. It was his fourth game this season since being recalled from Triple-A Round Rock after second baseman Josh Smith went on the injured list.
Instead, Foscue stayed and Schumaker was even making light of the fielding blooper with a joke about it during the hitters meeting before Saturday’s game.
“Kind of lightens it a little bit,” Foscue said. “Stuff like that happens in baseball, and I hate that I was the one, that I was part of it, and I cannot believe that it happened still. ... You can’t think about the day before. If you do that, you’re gonna be carrying a lot of baggage with you.”
In the clubhouse after hitting his first home, Foscue got a celebratory beer shower from his teammates.
“It’s how you bounce back,” Schumaker said. “That shows you what kind of person and what kind of character you have.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue runs the bases after hitting his first career home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue loads up while waiting for a pitch from the Chicago Cubs during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Texas Rangers' Justin Foscue (14) reacts with manager Skip Schumaker, second from left, and staff after hitting his first career home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, left, and second baseman Justin Foscue collide while fielding a ball hit by Chicago Cubs' Nico Hoerner during the seventh inning of a baseball game Friday, May 8, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
