Sacramento Kings forward Tristian Thompson (13) gets shot blocked by Golden State Warriors forward Kevon Looney (5) at Chase Center in San Francisco on Mon Dec 20, 2021 (AP News photo)

Warriors Manhandle Kings in the Fourth Quarter

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (13-19) really came to play against Golden State (25-6) and actually led by three points in the third quarter but could not maintain the lead. The Warriors came alive in the fourth quarter to take over the game winning 113-98.

Monday night the Warriors took on the Kings at Chase Center after a five game road trip.

After Saturdays game against the Raptors we did not know when we would see Jonathan Kuminga again. Fast forward and in the first quarter he played six minutes scoring twp points. Head Coach Steve Kerr turned to the bench and got some great work from Andre Iguodala with seven points and Otto Porter Jr with five.

The Warriors led 58-46 at halftime with guard Stephen Curry leading the shooting with 13 points. Draymond Green and Damien Lee both had ten points. Lee was spectacular in the first half playing 18 minutes. Golden State had eight steals and had the Kings back on their heels.

The Kings came storming out of the locker room in the third quarter playing some very competitive basketball. The Kings were still without Alvin Gentry and De’Aaron Fox while the Warriors were missing Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole all of them sidelined in covid protocol.

Curry sat out the entire third quarter. The 15 point lead that the Warriors had was trimmed down to two points with the Kings tying up the game with two minutes left in the quarter. The Kings briefly took the lead in the final minute of the third but could not sustain that effort in the final quarter of the game.

Going into the fourth quarter the Warriors led 84-79. Much of the lead was courtesy of Damian Lee who shot 18 points in this game. Green had a triple double in yet another brilliant performance and Curry finished with 30 points. The Kings put up a valiant effort with all of their starters scoring in double digits. It was just not enough and Golden State came away with the win 113-98.

Golden State will have a few days off before they take on the tough Memphis Grizzlies Thursday night at Chase Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.