Category: NBA

Nuggets block Warriors from overtime with 100-98 win

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Photo credit: nba.com/warriors

By: London Donson

The Golden State Warriors traveled to Colorado for a Sunday edition of NBA Basketball. The odd on favorites to win the title faced off against the Denver Nuggets, both teams boasting 2-0 records entering play. While Steph Curry was on the precipice of history, needing to make just five 3-pointers to pass Paul Pierce for sixth on the all-time list, Denver was trying to get themselves an excellent home win against the defending NBA champs.

While the Warriors were in control early, they faced a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter. They would have their say before the night was over, however as they stormed back with a 21-8 run, tying the game at 97 with just under 90 seconds left in regulation. Heading down the stretch, however, the nuggets would regain their lead, 99-97. As the final seconds on the clocked ticked away the Warriors’ Damian Jones had an opportunity snatched away from him right under the hoop. After receiving the pass from driving Curry, Jones was denied from behind Juan Hernangomez and time would expire.

There is not much to glean from this early season tilt from the Warriors’ perspective. They had an off game, yes, shooting only 24% from deep and had problems with ball security through the night, coughing it up 18 times. That being said, they don’t have any true fundamental issues, and they will be getting all-star center Boogie Cousins later this season. A close game at Mile High can be expected when a team comes off two close wins over two of the tough western foes, the Jazz and Thunder.

For the Nuggets, it’s a great sign as things are headed in the right direction with a young core. If they can prove they can pull off close wins against the toast of the Western Conference consistently their streak of five consecutive years missing the playoffs may be coming to an end.

The Warriors return to Oracle Arena to host the Phoenix Suns on Monday at 7:30 pm PT on NSBA and FSAZ.

Kings run to their first win of the season beating the Thunder 131-120 in OKC

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OKC KINGS W
Photo: @OKCThunder

By Charlie O. Mallonee

The last place a 0-2 NBA team wants to play when trying to get its first win of the season is Oklahoma City. The Thunder had a 9-1 opening night record at home heading into the game versus the Kings on Sunday night. OKC also had won 74.2-percent of their home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena going the 2018-19 home opener. That is what you call a “real uphill battle.”

The Kings parlayed a two-point first quarter lead into a 12-point halftime lead. Everyone knew the Thunder would not go quietly–especially with Superstar Russell Westbrook back for the first time this season after a knee scope.

The Kings held a 97-90 lead at the end of three quarters and then had to gut it out for the final 12 minutes.

The Kings (1-2) led by Justin Jackson, Willie Cauley-Stein and De’Aaron Fox outscored OKC 34-30 in the fourth period and won their first game of the season 131-120. Beating the Thunder (0-3) on the road is a real motivator for a young team like Sacramento.

Sacramento turned to a vet for a lift

OKC Kings Iman
Iman Shumpert was on fire Photo: @OKCThunder

Kings head coach Dave Joerger inserted NBA veteran Iman Shumpert into the starting lineup on Sunday night. Shumpert gave the team an immediate lift by scoring 16 of their 34 first quarter points. He hit 4-of-6 3-point shots in the opening 12 minutes.

Shumpert finished the game with 26 points shooting 9-for-13 from the floor including four 3-point conversions. He also added four assists, three steals, three rebounds and two blocked shots.

Fans should not expect Shumpert to produce those kinds of numbers on a regular basis but he will be good as a “spark plug” for the team during the season.

Defense
It may seem odd to talk about defense when a team gives up 120 points, but it has to be a discussion for this game. One of the key issues was not allowing long scoring runs. In the game in New Orleans, the Pelicans went on very long scoring runs which were back breakers. Sacramento did not let that happen on Sunday which helped them win the game.

The Kings also held the Thunder to 44.2-percent shooting (46-for-104) overall. In their two losses, the Jazz and Pelicans shot over 50-percent for the game. Scoring is up in the NBA dramatically as teams are pushing the pace, but defense will still be important to winning games.

Rookie watch
Marvin Bagley III came off the bench and played just over 23 minutes. MBIII scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Five of those rebounds were off the offensive glass setting up second-chance opportunities. He attacked the basket often looking like he had jumped off a mini-trampoline. The young man can “raise the roof.”

Harry Giles III played almost 17 minutes and did not foul out. That is significant because he was assigned to slow down Steven Adams, which is no easy task for a veteran, let alone a rookie. HGIII did put a crimp in Adams style and managed to score eight points to go with six rebounds.

The Fox was on the loose
After the game, coach Dave Joerger said he may have played Fox for too many minutes (41:59) in the contest. Not only did the second-year point guard push the pace but he also had to defend against Russell Westbrook for 35 minutes. Fox did look tired during his postgame interview.

Fox recorded a double-double putting up 22 points and dishing out 10 assists in the victory. He hit 7-of 12 shots from the field and converted 7-of-9 opportunities from the charity stripe.

Seven Kings scored in double-figures

OKC KINGS 5

  • Buddy Hield enjoyed his time in his adopted state of Oklahoma, scoring 17 points while shooting 6-for-11. He hit 2-of-4 3-point tries and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein was particularly effective down the stretch in the fourth quarter when the Thunder threatened to get back into the game. Cauley-Stein finished the game with 13 points, seven rebounds (four on offense) and two assists.
  • Justin Jackson was also very active in the final period. He finished with 11 points and five rebounds. He hit 4-of-6 shots from the field. His play in the fourth quarter helped to deliver the win.
  • Nemanja Bjelica scored 12 points spread over the first three quarters. He played just over 30 minutes in the game. Bjelica pulled down five rebounds, had four assists, made three steals and had one blocked shot. He made 5-of-6 shots from the floor including two 3-pointers.
  • Yogi Ferrell added nine points and four rebounds.

Kings team numbers were impressive as well

  • Field Goals 50-for-91 54.9-percent
  • 45.5 3-point percentage (10-for-22)
  • Free throws 21-for-28 (75.0-percent)
  • 46 rebounds (12 offensive)
  • 28 assists versus 20 turnovers that resulted in 26 OKC points
  • 11 steals
  • 7 blocked shots

Up Next
The Kings wrap up this three-game road trip on Tuesday night in Denver against a very tough Nuggets team. The Nuggets are currently 3-0 after squeaking out a 100-98 win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night.

Pelicans land hard on the Kings in a 149-129 win in “the Big Easy”

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Bagley vs Pels
Bagley slams it home Photo @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

By the end of the evening in New Orleans, the Sacramento Kings would rather have been in Yuba City because they had no reason to celebrate on Bourbon Street. The Kings gave up 149 points to the New Orleans Pelicans in their loss on Friday night. The 149 points was a new game-high scoring record for the New Orleans franchise.

The Kings did score 129 points of their own, but it was in a losing effort. There were some highlights but a loss is a loss. This was the Kings first road loss of 2018-19, and they are now 0-2 on the season.

Joerger’s take
”I saw some really good things offensively tonight,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said. ”I see, certainly, a lot of things defensively that can be learned through experience that just takes time as younger guys learn how to play against older guys. I am not fired up about giving up 149, but I do like what I see from a lot of our guys.”

Maybe this reporter is just a little impatient, but he has heard the “I saw some really good things” line many times over the last two years. Yes, this is a completely reworked roster with some very young players, but the “I’m happy with some of what I saw from my team tonight” line is going to wear thin very quickly. After 10 games if the team is playing poorly, the coach is going to have to speak honestly about the way his team is playing. The time to “kick butt and take names” is coming sooner and not later for Sacramento.

Coming out party for MBIIIV
The Kings top draft pick saw some major playing time on Friday versus the Pelicans. Bagley played 32-plus minutes and matched up well against “the Brow” – Anthony Davis. MBIIIV put up 19 points hitting 7-of-10 from the field. He converted 5-of-6 opportunities from the free throw line. Bagley grabbed eight rebounds, had three assists and made three steals.

Not a bad second game as a professional for a 19-year old having to go up against Anthony Davis.

WCS comes up “Big” again
Willie Cauley-Stein was the Kings leading scorer for the second consecutive game with 20 points in just over 25 minutes of playing time. He shot an impressive 9-for-14 from the floor. The big man also grabbed seven rebounds.

Swipa the Fox and Buddy Buckets showed up as well
De’Aaron Fox shot 6-for-12 from the floor and scored 18 points for the Kings. He also dished out six assists and pulled down seven rebounds. The Fox hit 6-of-7 chances from the free throw line.

Buddy Hield recorded 17 points, hitting 7-of-11 shots from the field. Hield put in 3-of-4 tries from behind the 3-point line. He also added three assists.

Mr. Mason had a big game coming off the bench

Mason vs Pels
Frank Mason works against the Pelicans Photo: @SacramentoKings

Frank Mason III played just over 21-minutes and scored 18 points. Mason shot 7-for-13 from the floor and converted 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He also handed out six assists.

What about Harry Giles III?
Harry had a tough game on Friday night. He committed six fouls in just over 18 minutes on the floor. Giles scored seven points and added four rebounds. He shot just 3-for-11 for the game. Rookies sometimes struggle.

Team stats
The Kings shot 52.1-percent (50/96) for the game. The problem was the Pelicans shot 58.9-percent (56/95) in the contest.

Sacramento hit 10-of-25 (40-percent) from 3-point land. New Orleans buried 16-of-31 tries from behind the long-distance line.

The Pelicans outrebounded the Kings 52 to 39.

The need for defense
The practice on Saturday will be all about defense. The Kings have proved they can score. Now, they need to figure out how to stop their opponents from scoring at will.

Up next
The Kings will return to action on Sunday on the road in Oklahoma City versus the Thunder at 4:00 pm PT. The quest for their first victory of 2018-19 does not get any easier having to face a team a talented as the Thunder on the road.

Warriors come back to outlast the Jazz 124-123 in a thriller in Utah

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Photo credit: @warriors

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors trailed by as many as 16 points, but came back late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Utah Jazz 124-123 at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Friday night to win a thriller as time expired.

The Jazz had it all going for them in the first half as they put 81 points on the board. The first quarter was close and Utah led by two 34-32 after the first 12 minutes. Utah owned the second quarter as they outscored Golden State 47-37 and led 81-69 at the end of the first half.

When the Warriors score that many points in the first half, they are usually in command and would be cruising to a win. That was not the case Friday as the Jazz, who were behind the hot shooting of Joe Ingles, poured in 81 points. Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr had to be dismayed by the lack of defense and must have conjured up an effective defensive strategy at halftime.

The Jazz increased the lead to 16 before the Warriors decided to shut down Utah’s offense. They held the Jazz to just 22 points in the third period and cut the deficit to six before starting the fourth quarter. Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson continued to apply defensive pressure on the Jazz. With just under six minutes to go, the Warriors took a one-point lead. The Jazz went up by five with a little over a minute. The Warriors came back and took the lead 123-122 with less than 30 seconds left in the game. The Jazz made a two-pointer with just six seconds left on the clock.

Kerr took a timeout, and the Warriors inbounded the ball from the half-court line. They got the ball to Durant, but he missed the bucket. However, Jonas Jerebko, who played for the Jazz last year, managed to tip the ball in to give the Warriors the lead with just 3/10ths of a second left on the clock. The Jazz failed to score, and the Warriors walked away with a hard-earned win 124-123.

Game Notes and Stats: Kevin Durant was the scoring star for Golden State Friday night. He knocked down 39 points and had 9 rebounds and seven assists. Also, he had one steal and two blocked shots on defense.

Steph Curry also had a big night. Curry put 31 points on the board along with four boards and eight assists. He made five 3-point shots in nine attempts.

Draymond Green almost had a double-double. He kicked in with 14 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. He, too, had one steal and two blocked shots on defense.

Klay Thompson had 12.

Jonas Jerebko, who scored the winning bucket, played well as he recorded 10 points, six rebounds, and one assist.

Kevon Looney and Damian Jones each had four, and Shaun Livingston added eight.

The Warriors gave up 81 points in the first half, but held the Jazz to just 42 in the second.

Joe Ingles led the Jazz with 27, which was a career-high for the talented Aussie.

Big man Rudy Gobert had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Ricky Rubio had 13, Donovan Mitchell had 19, Jae Crowder had 17 and Dante Exum added 13.

The Warriors are 2-0 for the season, while Utah drops to 1-1.

Up Next: The Warriors head to Denver to take on the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night at 5:00 pm PT on NSBA and ALT.

Kings Press Row Podcast: Game 1 Postgame Breakdown Edition

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SAC 5 vs jazz

hosts: Jordan “Chape” Chapin & Charlie O

  • What was the most impressive thing of the night in the Kings first game of the season?

  • The starting five for SAC may have been a surprise

  • Was Bjelica the surprise of the night?

  • Willie Cauley-Stein stepped up to show he can be what the Kings want him to be

  • De’Aaron Fox showed that he can play at high speed on a regular basis

  • Buddy Hield was strong on offense and had bright spots on defense

  • The key rookies Bagley and Giles saw only limited minutes – will that be the regular routine?

  • Did the Kings show some defensive strength even in giving up 123 points?

  • The answers to these questions and many more in less than 20 minutes on the Kings Press Row Podcast

Jazz ruin Kings’ Opening Night with 123-117 road win at Golden 1 Center

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Photo credit: @desnewssports

By: London Donson

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — NBA opening night is a special night for every team.  It’s a time when every team believes in themselves, despite what the rosters may indicate, possible predictions and off-season hype that they have a chance to create some magic. For the Sacramento Kings, it’s the opportunity for ultimate redemption, like, say, Wednesday night versus the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center. Also, a chance to pave a path back to the playoffs after 12 years of being bottom-feeders in the West. With a significant amount of young talent like De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley, Sacramento is looking to progress into the future and it all starts tonight…or not.

The Kings looked like they were hoping to keep the hope alive. With less than eight minutes to go in the first quarter Sacramento held a 9-0 lead over Utah. Sacramento would hold a 10-plus lead for the majority of the quarter, thanks to early contributions from Buddy Hield. Utah rallied early and closed the gap behind seven points, thanks to Joe Ingles. The first quarter ended with a four-point advantage for Sacramento, 34-30.

The Jazz were in control during second and third quarters, while the Kings seemingly couldn’t catch a break with the referees and found themselves in foul trouble in the first three quarters. Rudy Gobert showcased his tremendous length and proved why he is one of the best big men in the NBA. Going into into the fourth quarter, Gobert had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Kings got contributions from many different places with five players with double-digits, but trailed by six at the start of the fourth quarter, 93-87.

The Kings never lost the fire they had going in the game, starting the fourth quarter with energy and refusing to let the Jazz walk away with an easy win. Willie Cauley-Stein went on to be Sacramento’s leading scorer with 23 points. Hield and Fox scored 21 and 19 points, respectively; but the Kings’ real standouts were Nemanja Bjelica and Yogi Ferrell, whose clutch effort plays kept the Kings competitive. Ferrell caused two jump balls through four quarters, the second coming at a crucial late stage in the game as the Kings were trying to close the gap in the fourth quarter.  Bjelica was one of the Kings’ most potent scorers, pouring in 18, including a fourth quarter three-pointer.

In the end, both teams scored 30 points apiece, and the Kings fell by the same third quarter deficit of six points. Even still, Sacramento played with great effort and well enough to be competitive, keeping up with a Utah team that’s considered to be one of the better teams in the West. The Kings can look back at this game for growth, and keep the hope for a better season.

Final: The Jazz defeated the Kings 123-117.

Up Next: The Kings travel to Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, October 19 at 5:00 pm PT on NSCA and FSNO.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Kings open season hosting Jazz tonight; 49ers’ loss simply was a heartbreaker; Expect Astros-Sox to go the distance

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 London will be covering the Sacramento Kings opener at Golden 1 Center as the Kings host the Utah Jazz. London talks about all the excitement surrounding opening night.

#2 The San Francisco 49ers lost a crucial close game to the Green Bay Packers 33-30 in a game that went right down to the wire. Is this game viewed as an improvement game for San Francisco?

#3 It’s a series that has gone back and forth that saw the Red Sox win game one and the Astros in game two and now the Sox in game three. There’s no doubt the two best teams in the American League battling in the ALCS.

#4 With the Golden State Warriors losing four of their five preseason games, any indication that this Warriors team is getting older slowing down and show signs of fatigue or they just didn’t show all their cards in the preseason? Looks like they answered that question with a big win over the OKC Thunder on Tuesday night.

#5 The Oakland Raiders’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in London was one of the low points of this season. With the team at 1-5, is this team getting away from head coach Jon Gruden?

London has Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Warriors start season with win over OKC Thunder 108-100

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photo from goldenstateofmind.com: Forward Paul George (13) the OKC Thunder pushes against the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) on opening night at Oracle Arena in Oakland on Tuesday night

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors, after unfurling their sixth NBA Championship banner and receiving their rings, started their quest for the third championship in a row and fourth in five seasons with a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-100 at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night. It was not easy as both the Warriors and Thunder were not in mid-season form. Both teams play looked ragged at times, but the Warriors played defense down the stretch to win the game.

The Warriors did get off to a good start in the first quarter as they outscored the Thunder 31-23. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson looked sharp. Things changed a bit in the second period, but the Warriors outscored the Thunder by two to finish the first half with a 10-point lead, 57-47. Curry finished the half with 19 points, and he made five 3-point shots in six attempts. Durant had 15, and Thompson added 10. Draymond Green made just one bucket good for 2 points, but he showed his defensive prowess with nine rebounds and five assists in the first half. Dennis Schroder, a former Atlanta Hawk, led the Thunder with 12 points. Steve Adams had nine, and Paul George kicked in with six.

The Warriors, who owned the third quarter last season, struggled as the Thunder fought their way back into the game. OKC started the period with a 22-9 run and took the lead 67-66. From that point forward, the lead seesawed between the two teams. The Thunder won the period 32-26, but the Warriors still finished with a four-point lead 83-79. The Warriors could not pull away from the Thunder until late in the fourth quarter. The Warriors led by four 95-91 with a little of six minutes left in the game. OKC cut the deficit to two 99-97, but Curry made a layup and got fouled on the play. He made the free throw, and the lead was back to five, 102-97. With time running out, Kevon Looney made a two-point bucket that ignited the crowd. Durant scored to put Golden State up 106-99. However, Durant landed awkwardly on his right shoulder, and the Arena went silent. The big guy rose to his feet and shook off the injury, and the fans let out a huge collective sigh of relief. Durant scored the last bucket of the night, and the Warriors finished the night with their first victory of the season.

Game Notes and Stats: At times, as mentioned above, the play looked sloppy on both sides. The Warriors turned the ball over 20 times, and head coach Steve Kerr was not happy as he wants the team to handle the ball better and keep turnovers to under fifteen. Kerr knows his players are still getting in shape and looked tired, saying: “We didn’t look much like ourselves. It’s not surprising either. We need a couple more weeks.”

Kevin Durant who played well as he knocked down 27 points and had 8 rebounds and six assists said this about the team’s performance.

“I love who we are, game 1 of 82,” Durant said. “Just keep grinding.”

Steph Curry led the team with 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. Curry  did not make a 3-pointer in the second half and ended the night with 5 for 9 in that department. Klay Thompson finished with 10. Draymond Green did not score in the second half, but he finished the night with an astounding 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Green admitted that he was tired, but he did not play much in the preseason as he was resting a sore knee. The Warriors big men, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones, played well. Looney scored 10 points and had 10 boards. Jones had a career-high 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 boards.

Paul George caught fire in the second half and finished the night with 27 points for OKC. Steve Adams finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Dennis Schroder added 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Thunder’s leader and All-Star guard Russell Westbrook did not play as he was sidelined with a knee injury.

Up Next: The Warriors travel to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Jazz Friday night. Game time will be at 7:30 pm PT and will be shown on ESPN.

Kings lose the final preseason game of the year to Portland, 118-115, but not ugly this time

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Por vs Sac

By Charlie O. Mallonee

After being blown out 132-93 by the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, the Sacramento Kings needed to bounce back in the second game of a back-to-back in Portland on Friday to prove that they are not a “walk-over team” in the 2018-19 season. The Kings did not win on Friday night, but they did not embarrass themselves either. Sacramento fought to the end but came up short losing to the Trail Blazers 118-115.

Sacramento did not go into the game with positive news. Point guard De’Aaron Fox and head coach Dave Joerger were both pregame scratches because of the stomach flu. That is not the way you want to start a game you need to win–no head coach and down one superstar.

The Kings fell behind 32-20 at the end of the first quarter, and it looked like it might be another ugly loss for Sacramento on the road. The Kings bounced back in the second quarter and outscored the Trail Blazers 35-25.

The Kings kept the game close and had a chance to win the contest right up to the end. With one-tenth of a second remaining, Frank Mason put up a 3-point shot that missed. Had that shot been good–the Kings would have won the game.

Por vs Sac2

Kings Performances

  • Buddy Hield was the Kings co-high scorer in the game with 19 points. Hield went a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. He also had four assists.
  • Yogi Ferrell also scored 19 points in the game. Ferrell shot 7-for-15 from the field. He also added five assists.
  • Marvin Bagley III–MBIII5 scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. He shot 7-for-11 from the field.
  • Willie Cauley-Stein and Frank Mason each scored 14 points in the game.
  • Nemanja Bjelica put up 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

What the Trail Blazers did

  • CJ McCollum led the Trail Blazers scoring attack with 21 points. He also had nine rebounds and six assists.
  • Meyers Leonard added 17 points and nine rebounds.
  • Nik Stauskas (remember him?) recorded 15 points. He hit 4-of-7 from 3-point land.
  • Zach Collins scored 15 points in 31 minutes on the floor. He shot 7-of-12 from the floor.

Por Leonard

Team stats

  • SAC shot 42.2-percent from the floor (38-for-90).
  • The Kings hit 10-of-24 (41.7-percent) from 3-point land.
  • Sacramento went 29-for-33 (87.9-percent) from the free throw line.

Up next

The start of the 2018-19 regular season on Wednesday, October 17 versus the Utah Jazz at 7:00 pm PT inside the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Lakers down the Warriors 119-105 to finish the preseason

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Photo credit: @Lakers

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN JOSE — The Los Angeles Lakers, who were without LeBron James, Brandon Ingram, and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, rallied in the second half to down the Golden State Warriors 119-105 at SAP Center on Friday night.

The Warriors did not play Kevin Durant or Andre Iguodala. Steph Curry played the first period for Golden State and was done for the night. Klay Thompson did not play in the second half. Draymond Green, who had not played since September 29th, saw 14 minutes of action and scored just one point.

Curry played most of the first quarter and tallied 16 points, including four three-point shots. He looked as if he was in mid-season form. Thompson finished the night with 21, and he looked ready to go. The Warriors won the first half by 13 (67-54). Damian Jones had a good first half as he knocked down 15 and appears to be the starting center for the Warriors until DeMarcus Cousins is ready to play.

The second half belonged to the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma was on fire as he and Svi Mykhailuk led the Lakers to a comeback win as they outscored the Warriors 61-38. The Warriors used Draymond Green in the third quarter and Shaun Livingston in the fourth quarter. The rest of the players were trying to show the Warriors’ coaching staff that they belonged in the NBA. The Warriors will have to make decisions soon on which players will start the season in Oakland and who will be assigned to the G-League.

Game Notes: The Warriors still have not agreed to a contract with Patrick McCaw. McCaw would be starting his third season with the Warriors, and he could help this year’s edition. There are question marks regarding Damian Jones, Jordan Bell, Jacob Evans, Jonas Jerebko, and Marcus Derrickson.

The Big Four consisting of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green are set. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, and Quinn Cook will make up the second unit.

Up Next: The Warriors open the season at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night at 7:30 pm PDT versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Moreover, the Warriors’ championship banner will be unfurled, and the players will receive their championship rings.