Stephen Curry not on the lineup? No issues. We have Coach Steph in action amid the Golden State Warriors’ struggle to end their 5-game losing streak. The San Francisco side had nothing going in their favor over the last two weeks. The 13-man rotation policy that did a lot of wonders early on didn’t seem to move the needle now. On top of it, the team has injury concerns regarding Chef Curry and Draymond Green. Amid this troubling equation, we have a wholesome moment with Brandin Podziemski tonight against the Houston Rockets.

USA Today via Reuters

With Podziemski taking over Steph’s position on the starting line, covering for his knee injury, the 4x NBA Champ had a different role tonight. After the disappointing trip to the Mile-High City, the Dubs returned home to face the Rockets. Probably, the opponent that the Warriors badly want at this point. The team had a 14-game winning streak against the H-Town before the tip-off.

Nevertheless, the win almost looked impossible with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green not in the squad with injuries. Most importantly, the Rockets are on a dream run, clinching the second seed.

Yet, the Warriors pulled off the unthinkable, defeating the Houston side without their core. However, Steph made his presence felt in the corner, dropping his wisdom on Brandin Podziemski, who was having the time of his life on the court.

From the looks of Steph’s gestures, it looked like he was giving tips on locking in before shooting the ball. Nonetheless, Podz only scored 8 points with one three-pointer. Meanwhile, he did something extraordinary. The 6 ‘4 sophomore star collected 12 rebounds against the tall Rockets lineup. Curry’s pep talk certainly worked magic for the 21-year-old.

Bench presence: Stephen Curry and DrayMagic stay in the game

Cameras panned toward the Dubs bench during the game than they usually do. It’s because Steph and Green sat on the courtside with their casual outfits on. After a slow but steady start to the game, the Warriors started to assert control. Thanks to Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga for stepping up when they needed it the most.

The duo had control over the Dubs’ offense throughout the game, becoming the only players in the team to have double-digit scores. Importantly, most of the credit goes to Kuminga. The rising star forward put up his career-high game of 33 points and 6 rebounds to break thee frustrating streak. As much as the noise the 22-year-old star made on the floor, the superstar duos also maintained the same energy on the bench.

Draymond Green was on his feet for the majority of the game. The star even went up to the refs during breaks and enquired about the missed calls. Especially, during the clutch moment, Kuminga sealed the game with a tough contested bucket, leaving the Warriors bench in a frenzy. In response, Green and Curry locked their arms and ran toward JK, and hyped him up. The visual pretty much summarized how much Kuminga’s performance meant to the team. Will Kuminga continue to stay in the starting lineup after this? Let us know in the comments below.