The Warriors held of the Kings’ last-minute, scrambling surge to prevail, 125-123, in their first game back from the All-Star break. Here are five takeaways.
Contrasting situations
This matchup featured two teams in much different places with much different objectives at this point in the season.
The young, energetic, no-All-Star Kings entered Thursday one game out of the 8th spot in the Western Conference Standings. Every game matters for them at this point, particularly matchups with the Warriors, which serve as a measuring stick for a precocious team trying to accelerate its rebuild.
For the Warriors, who just sent three players to the All-Star Game, Thursday simply meant another day closer to the playoffs. These games matter more for conditioning, integrating DeMarcus Cousins, and cementing rotations.
It was very possible the Warriors would have a case of the post All-Star blues. But they did not, playing at Sacramento’s breakneck pace from the game’s onset and trading blows. Neither team led by more than 11 points. The game was played at a quick pace, but the Warriors controlled the tempo in the fourth quarter. When they needed to lock down defensively, they did.
The Warriors relied on the Death Lineup, inserting Andre Iguodala over Cousins, to give them a late defensive lift. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson splashed in three three-pointers in the final three minutes to give the Warriors enough cushion to hold off the Kings, though it got nerve-racking late.
Kings guard Buddy Hield made two ridiculous three-pointers, and Iguodala missed consecutive free throws, leaving Golden State’s lead at two with six seconds left. On the game’s final possession, Hield took a contested midrange jumper, rather than taking the initial open three, and the ball barely skimmed the rim. The Warriors escaped a late scare.
Steph and KD show no All-Star hangover
Before the game, Steve Kerr joked that he almost didn’t come back from his five-day respite in San Diego, where he enjoyed golf and clear skies. But the post-All Star game lull did not apply to Curry Curry (36 points, seven assists, and six rebounds) or Kevin Durant (28 points, nine rebounds, and four assists).
Durant was locked in on both sides of the ball. He was good for his once-a-game jaw-dropping play, a crossover that led into a dunk over Marvin Bagley late in the third quarter. On the following possession, he sunk a 30-footer to close out the quarter, cutting Golden State’s deficit to two points — which was ultimately the difference in the game. Durant was particularly disruptive defensively, logging a career-high seven blocks.
Curry, as usual, methodically chipped in before putting the game to rest in the fourth quarter. In a matter of 50 seconds, Curry sunk two three-pointers to give the Warriors a six-point advantage with under two minutes left.
The Kings’ best stretch of the game came with Durant and Curry sitting for the start of the second quarter. Sacramento gained a 12-point advantage with the two stars out.
Klay Thompson, the third All-Star, struggled to find his shooting stroke. He went 6-16 with 18 points, which included two in-and-out three-point misses late in the fourth quarter. But he made an important shot, a corner three that gave the Warriors a six-point lead with 71 seconds remaining.
Without Shaun Livingston, who missed Thursday night as he and his wife expected their second kid, the Warriors bench provided little boost, combining to go 6-17 from the floor.
Despite losses, Kings cap impressive four-game stretch against Warriors
The Kings lost all four of their games to the Warriors this year. The combined point differential? Twelve points.
These Kings seem to figure it out more and more with each passing game. They entered Thursday having won five of their past six contests.
A couple random plays that stood out Thursday: Bagley drew a foul on Durant with the same swipe-through move that Durant has tortured defenders with. Then, early in the the third quarter, Curry brought the ball up and threw a lazy pass to Draymond Green as they set up the offense. Bogdan Bogdanovich picked off the pass and hit De’Aaron Fox for an easy layup. These are plays that encapsulate these Kings: they’re feisty, scrappy, and rapidly improving.
And they’re sneaky deep. Bagley is starting to show why he was the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft. He poured in 12 points in the game’s first eight minutes. Corey Brewer, a prototypical three-and-d guy, stuck consecutive threes Thursday night. Harry Giles is showing the flashes that made him one of the top high school recruits a couple years ago. Yogi Ferrell has turned into a solid backup point guard. Harrison Barnes is a solid wing addition.
The pieces are aligning for the Kings.
Without minutes restriction, Cousins still testy
It’s no secret Cousins, periodically temperamental, has been eager to return to normal basketball. He has begged Steve Kerr to let him play beyond his minutes restriction in past weeks, and Thursday night, that restriction was lifted.
But the newfound normalcy could lead to some frustration from Cousins, if he doesn’t agree with the way he is subbed in and out. We saw that briefly Thursday night. About two minutes after he was called for a flagrant foul, Cousins was taken out of the game with five minutes left in the third quarter. He was visibly unhappy with the decision.
Cousins checked back into the game to start the fourth, and the frustration resurfaced. He picked up an offensive foul by plunging through a couple Kings players. About two minutes later, he fouled Fox on a layup. Cousins wasn’t happy with either call. Then, with about five minutes left in the game, the refs called a quick jump ball despite Cousins gaining control, which again drew his ire.
Cousins played an up-and-down game, though he improved as the game progressed. He made six of 12 shots and all four free throws for 17 points, along with nine rebounds. His passing ability and three-point shooting continue to give the Warriors a threat out of the center position they haven’t previously had.
Intriguing first-round matchup on the horizon?
How fun would this first-round matchup be?
It doesn’t seem likely the Kings would make this a competitive series, let alone win a game, but the breakneck pace and high level of scoring alone would paint quite the aesthetic to open the playoffs. Their four matchups have been highly entertaining.
And for that reason, Warriors fans would probably rather watch this series instead of a matchup with the Jazz or Spurs, teams that slow it down and grind out possessions.