Sacramento Kings cool off the Golden State Warriors in a Sleep Train Arena thriller – NBA Recap
In basketball, one moment or one trick can change the whole game. The fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors witnessed one of the most classical examples you will ever see.
It was the 2:13 mark of the fourth quarter, the game tied 118-118, when John Salmons sold Warriors point guard Stephen Curry into his sixth personal foul. Curry had scored 23 second half points, in a total of game-high 32, till
that stage and the Warriors were never the same. A 7-1 Kings’ run followed and the game was pretty much sealed. The closest Warriors got after that was 127-129 with 6.5 seconds to go, but a couple of free throws from Jimmer Fredette ensured that a last ditch
Jarrett Jack three point attempt held no significance. The Kings won 131-127.
Tactics aside, the most concerning thing for the Warriors, who have been rampant at the start of the season was the sloppy defence, which allowed 131 points to Tyreke Evans-less Kings.
"I'm very disappointed in how we allow a team to score 131 points without their best player," second-year Warriors coach Mark Jackson said after the game.
Klay Thompson who ended the night with 11 points and five rebounds was also disappointed;
"There's really no excuse for it," said Thompson. "We've beaten much better teams in this league. But you are going to have some bad games. It's a long season."
The Kings started off with a 25-12 run and were leading by as many as 15 in the middle of the second quarter, but a 14-5 Warriors run made a five point game at 49-54 with 2:47 remaining. The first half ended at 63-55 for the Kings,
who maintained a double digit advantage through most of the third quarter, ending it at 99-88.
The hosts were leading 105-95, but lost the momentum in the ensuing passage to allow Warriors a 17-6 run, which gave them a 112-111 lead.
DeMarcus Cousins led the hosts with 24 points; Aaron Brooks had 23 points on 9 of 12 while Marcus Thornton came back after four games and added 19 points off the bench.
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