Jonathan Kuminga ties career high with 34 points, Warriors beat Suns 109-105

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Jonathan Kuminga had 34 points and made the go-ahead free throw in the Golden State Warriors' 109-105 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

With the Warriors down one, Kuminga was fouled after getting inside positioning on Kevin Durant on an out-of-bounds play with 29 seconds to go. Kuminga made both free throws to put Golden State ahead and tie his career high in points a day after setting it against the Clippers on Friday.

Durant, who led the Suns with 31 points, missed a shot on the other end, and Dennis Schroder made two free throws after the Suns committed a loose ball foul on the rebound.

Phoenix led 65-61 at halftime. Stephen Curry, who had 22 points, beat the first-half buzzer with a one-handed, off-balance floater over seven-footer Oso Ighodaro after going behind the back to split two defenders.

The Suns were without Jusuf Nurkic, who was serving the first of a three-game suspension for his role in a fight against the Mavericks on Friday. Royce O’Neale also left the game in the second quarter with a left ankle sprain.

Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski (lower abdominal strain) did not play in the second half.

Suns: The Suns have lost five of six and are under .500 for the first time this season after an 8-1 start.

Warriors: The Warriors picked up a much-needed win to start a six-game homestand after losing six of seven.

The Warriors held the Suns without a field goal in the final 6:48, keying their fourth-quarter comeback.

The Warriors played in their league-leading 21st clutch game of the season, improving to 9-12 in games that were within five points in the last five minutes. Eight of their last nine games have been clutch games.

The Warriors host the Cavaliers on Monday, while the Suns host the Grizzlies on Tuesday.

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Golden State Warriors guard Dennis Schroder, right, looks to pass the ball while defended by Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer reacts during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green reacts after making a three-point basket against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is congratulated by forward Andrew Wiggins, left, after making a basket to end the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Phoenix Suns, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, left, dunks next to Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a jury’s finding in a civil case that Donald Trump sexually abused a columnist in an upscale department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a written opinion upholding the $5 million award that the Manhattan jury granted to E. Jean Carroll for defamation and sexual abuse.

The longtime magazine columnist had testified at a 2023 trial that Trump turned a friendly encounter in spring 1996 into a violent attack after they playfully entered the store’s dressing room.

Trump skipped the trial after repeatedly denying the attack ever happened. But he briefly testified at a follow-up defamation trial earlier this year that resulted in an $83.3 million award. The second trial resulted from comments then-President Trump made in 2019 after Carroll first made the accusations publicly in a memoir.

In its ruling, a three-judge panel of the appeals court rejected claims by Trump's lawyers that trial Judge Lewis A. Kaplan had made multiple decisions that spoiled the trial, including his decision to allow two other women who had accused Trump of sexually abusing them to testify.

The judge also had allowed the jury to view the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump boasted in 2005 about grabbing women’s genitals because when someone is a star, “you can do anything.”

“We conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings," the 2nd Circuit said. “Further, he has not carried his burden to show that any claimed error or combination of claimed errors affected his substantial rights as required to warrant a new trial.”

In September, both Carroll, 81, and Trump, 78, attended oral arguments by the 2nd Circuit.

Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson, said in a statement that Trump was elected by voters who delivered "an overwhelming mandate, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax, which will continue to be appealed.”

Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer who represented Carroll during the trial and is not related to the judge, said in a statement: “Both E. Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today’s decision. We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties’ arguments.”

The first jury found in May 2023 that Trump sexually abused Carroll and defamed her with comments he made in October 2022. That jury awarded Carroll $5 million.

In January, a second jury awarded Carroll an additional $83.3 million in damages for comments Trump had made about her while he was president, finding that they were defamatory. That jury had been instructed by the judge to accept the first jury’s finding that Trump had sexually abused Carroll.

Trump testified for under three minutes at the second trial and was not permitted to challenge conclusions reached by the May 2023 jury. Still, he was animated in the courtroom throughout the two-week trial, and jurors could hear him grumbling about the case.

FILE - E. Jean Carroll exits the New York Federal Court after former President Donald Trump appeared in court, Sept. 6, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)