First half action the Sacramento Kings De’Aaron Fox (5) takes a jump shot against the Golden State Warriors Jordan Poole (left) at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Oct 23, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

It was a tale of two halves as the Golden State Warriors (2-1) downed the Sacramento Kings (0-3) 130-125 Sunday night at the Chase Center. The Kings, coached by former Warrior assistant Mike Brown, gave the Warriors quite a tussle.

The Kings scored 71 points in the first half. Normally, a team that scores that many points would win the game. The Warriors didn’t even blink as they put 89 points on the scoreboard in the first half to finish the half with an 18-point advantage, 89-71.

It was the most points in a half witnessed by this reporter ever. It was the third most points in franchise history in any half and the second most in the first half. The Warriors set a franchise record by scoring 50 points in the second quarter.

The second half was a different story. The Warriors outscored the Kings 24-23 in the third quarter to lead by 19, 113-95. The Kings knew they could break down the Warriors defense. They erased most of the deficit but could not quite catch the Warriors. Sacramento put 31 points on the board and held the Warriors to 17.

The first half was something to see. The Warriors got off to an early 10-0 lead. Sacramento tied the game at 15 all. The Warriors never trailed in the first 12 minutes of play. The Kings tied the game at 17 all, 21 all, 25, and 30. The Warriors finished the quarter with a three-point lead, 39-36. 

The Warriors turned on the gas in the second quarter. Guard Stephen Curry got hot. Curry scored 21 points in the quarter and made five threes. Curry finished the first half with 28 points. Jordan Poole and James Wiseman each scored 12 points in the first half. Andrew Wiggins had 18. The Kings’ offense was paced by Domantis Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray, and Malik Monk. 

As mentioned above, Sacramento won the second quarter 54-41. The Kings served notice that they would have quite a bit of offensive firepower. Former Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown is trying to instill the Warriors’ winning ways into his new team.

The Kings are 0-3 to start the season, but they appear to be on the right track. Steve Kerr had this to say about Mike: “We played at times brilliantly, and we couldn’t sustain it,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It was closer than it should have been, but I give Sacramento a lot of credit. Mike’s doing a great job with those guys. They’re fighting, and they’re competing. They’ve had three close losses now to start the year. We let our guard down and they took advantage of it.”

Game Notes and Stats: With the win, the Warriors are 2-1. The Kings are 0-3. 

Curry finished the night with 33 points. It was his third-straight 30-point game. Curry was 11 for 22 from the floor and knocked down six threes. Wiggins tallied 24 with five rebounds and one assist. Klay Thompson had eight. Poole had 24, and Wiseman had 14.

The Kings had five players in double figures. Fox had a double-double with 26 points and ten assists. Sabonis had 19, Murray 16, and Monk 16. and Richaun Holmes 15. 

The Warriors play the Suns in Phoenix Tuesday night. The game will start at 7 pm.