We have a series.
With their heart-and-soul Draymond Green suspended, the Warriors held serve on Thursday, cutting the Kings’ series lead to 2-1 with a 114-97 win in the Chase Center.
Stephen Curry (36 points, six rebounds 6-of-13 from 3) and Andrew Wiggins (20 points, seven rebounds and excellent defense) stepped up, doing enough to make up for a rough Klay Thompson game (13 points on 5-of-15 shooting). The rest of the role players made up for the absence of Green and Gary Payton II; Kevon Looney gobbled up 20 rebounds and dished nine assists in an outrageous performance.
The game was ugly for much of the first half, with a combination of excellent defensive intensity and missed buckets being the story. But the Warriors woke up after halftime, and Curry helped ignite an end of third quarter-late fourth quarter run that kept the Kings on the mat.
Defensively, Thursday was easily the Warriors best performance of the series, keeping both Domantas Sabonis (15 points in 35 minutes) and De’Aaron Fox (26 points on 9-of-22 shooting) in check despite being without their two best defensive players.
So far it’s been the same story for the Warriors that it was in the regular season. They lost two winnable games on the road, and looked like a juggernaut at home. If they can do the same in Game 4 with Green, it will be a whole new series.
Here are three takeaways:
Early fourth quarter haymaker
The final three minutes of the third quarter looked like they’d be the deciding minutes of the game.
After increasing their lead to 13 in a stretch when they were without Curry, Wiggins and Looney, Steph reentered the game and hit a deep 3, increasing the advantage to 16. A Sabonis free throw followed, but the Warriors earned three straight stops, only for Curry to take it to the rack and finish impressively for an and-1. Lead now 16.
But the Kings fought back from the 18-point deficit, closing the quarter on an 8-2 run for a 31-31 frame. That was the theme for much of the game, with the Warriors playing better, but the upstart youngsters refusing to go down.
Turns out, the Warriors just needed a few more minutes to shut the door.
Golden State opened the fourth on an 11-5 run, including a deep Curry 3 and two strong Kuminga drives. It knocked the lead back up to 18. The ended a massive stretch for Curry where he scored 11 points in a five minute period.
Curry’s flurry also got the Chase Center crowd into a frenzy. That, plus the lead, was enough to put the Kings to bed, at least for a night.
Strength in Numbers
Same as it ever was.
Golden State’s moniker from their first title has been barely applicable this season, with so many role players struggling to stay relevant and a big reason the team is a six seed.
But when they needed it most on Thursday, the Warriors’ rotation players stepped up in the absence of Green and Payton II.
Without their two best defensive players the Warriors went 10 deep, giving Anthony Lamb, JaMychal Green and Moses Moody their first legitimate minutes of the series. Steve Kerr also gave Jonathan Kuminga more of a look, after a bait-and-switch pregame where he implied that this series wasn’t a great fit for JK.
Basically every role player was tremendous, giving as much credence as possible to the notion that non-stars play much better at home.
Looney, Kuminga and Lamb did an excellent job making up for Green’s defense in the front court. Looney especially fought Sabonis on the boards and in the post. Sabonis looked as ineffective as he did in the first game offensively. He was still a monster on the glass though, finishing with a team high 16 rebounds.
Looney was more than just a defensive stopper on Thursday, also finding himself as the roll man and creator in multiple pick-and-rolls. He did a great Draymond impression there as well, his nine assists a team high.
On the wing, Donte DiVincenzo finally found his sea legs as a creator and defender, even if the shot still isn’t there. DiVincenzo tossed eight assists and added eight rebounds. Moody was also huge, adding 13 key points.
Things were going so well for the Warriors, they were even able to survive a stretch with no Curry, Looney or Wiggins on the floor.
If the Warriors are going to get that at home, they’ll be tough to beat.
Rock fight
The Sacramento Kings did not shoot the ball well in the first two games, something that was a cause for major concern considering the Warriors had been unable to capitalize. Unsurprisingly, the shooting was even worse on Thursday, away from the friendly confines of the Golden One Center.
Though the Warriors’ defense was much better, the Kings also missed a number of open 3-point looks, continuing a troubling trend for the young team. Sacramento finished 38 percent from the field and a wretched 23 precent from deep.
A new phenomenon was a defensive answer to De’Aaron Fox, who Andrew Wiggins bothered far more than in Games 1 and 2. Fox lead the team in scoring with 26, but did so less efficiently (9-for-22).
But it was just as bad for the Warriors (40% from the field, 32% from 3), who did a much better job running their offense and working open shots, but struggled to take advantage. Jordan Poole had a better floor game and didn’t turn the ball over, but could not find the stroke, going 1-of-7 from deep in a 16-point night
Golden State made up the difference by attacking the paint and getting to the line. They also got more shots up due to only turning the ball over 12 times, are rarity in the Steve Kerr era.
In Games 1 and 2, the Kings won at home despite bad shooting. On Thursday, the Warriors did the same.
