The Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) takes a jump shot against the Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) in first half action at Chase Center in San Francisco on Thu Jan 25, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors scored 133 points against the visiting Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center Thursday night. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Kings scored 134 to win the game by one point, 134-133.

This was the third game between the two teams that was decided by a single point. The teams split the four-game season series at two apiece. The game was a definite nail-biter and was a thriller to the end. The Warriors had a chance to win.

With 15 seconds left on the clock, all the Warriors needed was a two-point bucket to win. The Kings’ defense rose to the occasion. They stopped Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Jonathan Kuminga to preserve the win for Sacramento.

The Kings, behind former Warrior Harrison Barnes, won the first quarter 40-32. The Warriors got their offense going in the second quarter and finished the first half trailing by three, 75-72. Curry knocked down five three-pointers in the first half and finished with 18 points.

Barnes made four threes and recorded 20 points in the first 24 minutes of play. Sacramento made 13 threes in the first half, while the Warriors knocked down 12. Kuminga and Dario Saric each had 14.

The second half was a nip-and-tuck affair. Whenever the Warriors came close to taking the lead, the Kings held the Warriors at bay. The Kings’ biggest lead in the quarter was seven points, 91-84.

The Warriors fought back to tie the game 99-99. Sacramento outscored the Warriors 5-2 to finish the third quarter with a three-point lead, 104-101. The Warriors needed to outscore the Kings by four in the fourth quarter to win.

The Warriors tried hard but could only get the advantage late in the quarter. The Kings had an answer for every bucket the Warriorss made until Kuminga made a bucket to put the Warriors ahead 133-132.

Could the Warrior defense make a stop to win the game? The answer was no. The Kings went ahead 134-133 with 15 seconds left. The Warriors did not take a timeout to inbound the ball in the forecourt. The Kings’ defense found a way to force Curry to make a turnover. The game was over.

Game Notes: the Warriors are now 19-23 with the loss. The Kings improved to 25-18.

The Warriors had five players in double-figures. Kuminga had a career-high 31 points. Curry led the Warriors with 33. Klay Thompson had 16, Andrew Wiggins had 17, and Saric had 14. The Warriors made 19 threes.

All five Kings’ starters were in double figures. Barnes had a career-high 39 points, and Barnes connected on seven threes. Fox finished with 29, Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, Keegan Murray 14, Kevin Huerter 12, and Davion Mitchell 10.

The Warriors host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday night at the Chase Center. The game will start at 5:30 pm.