Boston Celtics’ Kyrie Irving (11) shoots over Sacramento Kings’ George Hill (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
By: Ana Kieu
BOSTON — The Sacramento Kings lost their sixth straight game in a 113-86 blowout loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden Wednesday night.
Both teams had a goal in mind. The Kings hoped to snap a five-game losing skid while the Celtics wanted to extend its winning streak to six games. Turns out, Boston got exactly what they wished for—a win over a hapless Sacramento squad.
As usual, the starting lineups were released prior to the game. The Kings went with George Hill, Garrett Temple, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Zach Randolph, whereas the Celtics selected Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Aron Baynes, Jayson Tatum and Al Horford.
Kosta Koufos hit what would’ve been his first career three-pointer, but the referee didn’t recognize it to count as three points.
The Kings trailed the Celtics by just three points (27-24) in the first quarter. Randolph had nine points while Hill scored seven points.
The Kings were losing miserably as they trailed the Celtics 58-45 at the half, but that didn’t stop the Kings’ Twitter from cracking some jokes for the fans in the third quarter.
As you can see, the Kings were down by 29 after three quarters. The Celtics’ offense kept on getting better. Brown and Irving got 22 points apiece. Irving also collected five assists. Tatum and Terry Rozier had nine points apiece.
The Kings’ Twitter displayed sportsmanship at the end of the game even though the Garden got loud after the Celtics extended their record to 6-2 with a 113-86 win over the Kings.
Kings shooting guard Buddy Hield scored 16 points off the bench at the Garden.
Notes De’Aaron Fox notched a strong performance against the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night. Fox recorded 18 points (12 in the fourth quarter), five assists, four rebounds and one steal. He also marked the third time in seven games where he’s scored 18 or more points.
“Just coming out with more energy,” Fox told the Sacramento Kings. “We talk about trying to do that in the first half and it’s harder to be done than said but it’s something that we’re going to have to do if we’re going to compete in these games.”
Up Next
The Kings (1-7) visit the Detroit Pistons (5-3) Saturday at 7 p.m. EST on NSCA and FSDT.
Sacramento Kings head coach David Joerger gestures on the sideline during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
By: Ana Kieu
INDIANAPOLIS — Like the other day, the Sacramento Kings suffered a 101-83 blowout loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.
The Kings went with a starting lineup of George Hill, Buddy Hield, Willie Cauley-Stein, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Zach Rudolph against the Pacers’ starters Darren Collison, Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young.
The Pacers jumped out to an early 11-4 lead in the first quarter. Sabonis recorded six points and eight rebounds at the 7:16 mark.
On a positive note, Bogdanovic had a clever move and finish, reducing the Pacers’ lead to 17-8 with 3:14 left in the first quarter.
The Sac Kings trailed the Pacers 24-13 at the end of the first quarter.
The Pacers offense smothered the Kings defense in the second quarter. Indiana had eight unanswered points and led Sacramento by 20 (43-23) with 4:51 left in the second quarter.
The first 24 minutes of the game were terrible for the Kings, who trailed the Pacers 55-30 at the half. Both the Kings defense and offense looked lackluster. In terms of the Pacers, Sabonis got a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) in the first half.
Despite the Pacers’ success on the court, Thaddeus Young didn’t take his team’s half-time lead over the Kings for granted. Young told Fox Sports Indiana, “They’re going to keep fighting, keep scratching and clawing.”
Young not taking #Pacers' big first-half lead over #Kings for granted: "They're going to keep fighting, keep scratching and clawing." pic.twitter.com/ibC0XCcmCf
This was the second of back-to-back games for both the Kings and Pacers, but Indiana continued to dominate Sacramento in the second half. They led 69-48 after three quarters.
The Pacers chased down a rebound (sound the horn!) and the Kings’ three-game road trip began with an ominous start after they got blown out 101-83 for their fifth straight loss.
Notes Kings exercised their 2018-19 options on Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, Malachi Richardson, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis.
Kings transferred JaKarr Simpson and Jack Cooley to the Reno Bighorns.
De’Aaron Fox scored double-digit points in five of his first seven games.
Up Next The Kings (1-6) head to TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics (5-2) Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. EST on NBSB and NSCA.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, left, knocks the ball lose from Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, center, as he is defended by forward Draymond Green, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Kang)
by Jerry Feitelberg
Los Angeles – The Warriors played their best game of the year as they defeated the Clippers for the 11th straight time by a score of 141-113.
The Clippers lost guards Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and sixth man Jamal Crawford in the offseason. They were replaced by Patrick Beverly, Danilo Gallinari, and Lou Williams. The Clippers had eleven new players on the roster for coach Doc Rivers, but the result was the same. They lost to the Warriors.
The first quarter was fairly competitive. The teams were tied 20-20 when the Warriors started to take charge. Shaun Livingston made the next bucket to make it 22-20, and the Warriors began to pull away. They increased the lead to six at the end of the period 34-28. Ja Vale McGee knocked down a couple of lobs, and the Warriors were now in control.
The Dubs scored forty points in the second quarter and led by 17 at the half. They were making all the shots as they were 60% from the floor. Everyone was playing well, and the team committed just four turnovers in the first 24 minutes. Steph Curry led the scoring with 16 points. Draymond had 13, Kevin Durant 14, and Klay Thompson had 11. The leading scorers for LA were Blake Griffin 10, Gallinari, 12, Beverly 6, DeAndre Jordan 6, Lou Williams 6, and Wesley Johnson 6. The score at the half was 74-57.
The Clippers went on a 10-2 run to start the second half. However, the Warriors regained their composure after the Clippers closed the deficit to just nine. The Warriors behind the stellar play of Steph Curry went on a 13-1 run near the end of the third quarter, and they finished the period with a twenty-one point lead 107-86.
The Warriors increased the lead to twenty-five 120-95 and then Coach Steve Kerr turned the game over to the bench. Jordan Bell, Patrick McCaw, Omri Casspi, Nick Young were on the floor with David West or Ja Vale McGee, and they coasted to the win. The final score was 141-113.
Game Notes and Stats – Steph led the Warriors with 31 points. Draymond Green had his best performance of the year with 16 points,6 assists, 9 rebounds, and one blocked shot. KD had 19, Klay added 15. Klay hit a three-point shot to extend his streak to 62 consecutive games. The bench performed well as they scored 54 points. Blake Griffin 16, Gallinari 19, Beverly 14, Jordan 10, and Lou Williams 17 were the Clippers scorers.
The Warriors recorded 37 assists and on defense had 46 rebounds, 8 steals, and 8 blocks. The Warriors made 14 three-point shots in 29 attempts and committed just 12 turnovers for the entire game.
The Warriors improve to 5-3 while LA drops to 4-2. The Warriors travel to San Antonio to face the Spurs Thursday night. Game time is at 5 pm.
Bradley Beal drives on Buddy Hield Photo USA Today Sports
by Charlie O. Mallonee
The Washington Wizards opened the game with the Sacramento Kings on Sunday afternoon with a 13 – 0 run. By the time Sacramento head coach Dave Joerger mercifully called timeout with 7:16 to go in the first quarter, very few in the Golden 1 Center had any doubts about how the game would finish.
By the time the final buzzer sounded 48 – minutes later, the Wizards (4-2) had handed the Kings (1-5) their third consecutive defeat 110-83. Quite possibly more important than losing three-in-a-row is the fact the Kings are 0-3 at home this season. Even for a young team – there is supposed to be some semblance of a “home court advantage”. This young edition of the Kings has not established that home court presence as of yet.
Wizards were on a mission
John Wall scored a game-high 19 points Photo USA Today Sports
Washington had been on a very tough road trip. The Wizards won the opening game of the trip in Denver, then everything fell apart in Los Angeles. After John Wall was very outspoken about the way he was going to go at Lonzo Ball, the Lakers beat the Wizards 102 – 99 in overtime. That loss led to some major headlines across the nation.
On Friday night, Washington had to face the Golden State Warriors in Oakland. The Wizards were in control of that contest until late in the game when the Warriors came alive to outscore the Wizards 33-20 in the fourth period. Golden State won the game 120 – 117.
That Warriors game also featured the “scuffle” between Draymond Green and Bradley Beal. The Wizards literally did not know until 90-minutes before the game whether Beal would be able to play or be suspended. The league chose to fine him and Beal played against the Kings.
Wizards head coach Scott Brooks made it very clear in his pregame remarks that his team had one goal and that was to finish the road trip 2 – 2. They met that goal.
The 3-point shot was the Wizards weapon of choice
Washington used the 3-point shot to perfection against the Kings on Sunday. The Wizards hit 17-of-34 3-point attempts (50-percent) in the game. That was not a franchise record. Washington has the 11th best 3-point shooting percentage in the NBA. Ironically, the team with the 12th best 3-point shooting percentage in “the Association” is the Sacramento Kings – except they shot only 27.3-percent (6-for-22) from beyond the arc on Sunday.
John Wall led the Wizards hitting 5-of-6 from downtown. Otto Potter Jr. sank three and Kelly Oubre Jr. connected on two from long range.
Every active player on the Washington roster played and scored in the game
The Wizards had 12 men on the active roster Sunday afternoon and all saw playing time against the Kings. Every Wizard scored points. John Wall scored a game-high 19-points and dished out nine assists.
Otto Porter Jr. put up 16-points and grabbed five rebounds. Bradley Beal – who in this reporter’s opinion should have been on suspension for his actions last Friday night – scored 15-points. Mike Scott added 13-points and Jodie Meeks recorded 11.
Every active player on the Kings roster played in the game
Dave Joerger planned on using a 10-man rotation on Sunday. When Garrett Temple sustained a cut over his eye, that changed the plan and all 13 Sacramento players saw time on the floor.
Bogdan Bogdanovic led the Kings in scoring with with 15-points going 7-for-9 from the field. Frank Mason III put up 11-points shooting 5-for-10 in his 21-minutes on the court. Skal Labissiere and Malachi Richardson each tallied 10 points against the Wizards.
Dave Joerger had some interesting takes on the loss to the Wizards
Wizards Head Coach Scott Brooks thoughts on the game
Scott Brooks looks on as his Wizard destroys the Kings Photo USA Today Sports
“I thought we came out defensively and contested shots and made them miss shots. We were really moving the ball well, and knocking down 3’s. It was probably the best that we’ve played on both ends of the court. Our passing, leading to open 3’s were just terrific. Hopefully, we can continue that trend. Defensive mindset was really good tonight.”
Kings management must react to the “boos” and empty seats
Kings head coach Dave Joerger made some comments in his pregame news conference about the starting lineup and roster being about player development. Everyone understands that Kings are in a “rebuilding mode” but that does not mean they will be patient if they go into a “G-League” mode. Kings fans are paying top dollar for the opportunity to see their team play at the Golden 1 Center and they expect to see their team at least be competitive on the court.
Having George Hill and Zach Randolph on the inactive list against a team like the Wizards is not putting your best product on the floor. If you want to experiment with a young, inexperienced roster, do it in Indiana or Atlanta where their fans will love the “blow out” and not feel “ripped off”. At home, the Kings need to do everything they can to win games. They owe that to their fans.
It is not acceptable to hear boos at the end of the first-half and to have a half-full arena as the second-half tips-off. Kings fans have worked too hard to keep this team in Sacramento to suffer experimental lineup after experimental lineup. Experiment on the road and be competitive at home.
Up next on the schedule
The Kings head out on the road for a three-game road that begins on Halloween in Indiana with the Pacers. Then on Wednesday, they have the back end of a back-to-back set on the road in Boston. Sacramento wraps up the road trip on Saturday in Detroit with the Pistons.
The Wizards head back to Washington and will face the Suns on Wednesday and then must get ready for the Cavs on Friday.
Detroit Pistons’ Reggie Jackson, left, looks to pass away from Golden State Warriors’ Golden State Warriors’ Klay Thompson (11) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Jerry Feitelberg
Oakland – The Warriors were not able to pull a rabbit out of the hat Sunday night as they fell to the visiting Detroit Pistons by a score of 115-107.
The Pistons are now 5-2 for the season, and the Warriors dropped to 4-3. It was the Warriors second home loss of the season. The Warriors know that every team is gunning for them as they are the champs but they are not playing like the champs so far this year. They are committing too many turnovers, and they made twenty-six of them Sunday night, and Detroit was able to score thirty-three points off the turnovers.
The Warriors led by five at the half, but they lost both the third and fourth quarter to the Pistons. The Dubs led by fourteen with 8:30 left in the third quarter but they played fast and loose with the ball and were outscored by six in the third and seven in the fourth.
Draymond Green scored just two points. He did have thirteen rebounds, but he committed a game-high six turnovers. Zaza Pachulia also scored two points, and he turned the ball over four times. The Big Three of Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry scored 29,28, and 27 respectively. Klay turned it over four times, KD three, and Steph five. Avery Bradley, the former Boston Celtic, paced the Pistons attack with 23. Reggie Jackson had 22, Tobias Harris 16, Stanley Johnson 15, big Andre Drummond, 8, and Ish Smith, coming off the bench added 16. The Detroit bench outscored the Warrior bench 31-19.
Game Notes – Many of the fans are worried that something is not clicking with the Warriors. The Dubs are still a team loaded with talent, but they do not seem to be in sync. Some nights they are outrebounded. Some nights the defense is not there. So far, they are committing too many turnovers. Coach Steve Kerr had these thoughts about Sunday’s performance: “”It just has to matter enough. Right now it just doesn’t seem to matter. Our guys are lacking in energy and focus and discipline,” Kerr said. “We finally started caring with six minutes left when we were threatened, and we immediately cut it to three because we cared. But the right team won, karma was in the right place tonight.”
The Warriors will not have too much time to correct the flaws as they travel to Los Angeles to face the Clippers Monday night.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) fight during the second quarter at Oracle Arena.(Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
by Jerry Feitelberg
Oakland- The Golden State Warriors won a wild one Friday night as the came back from a fourteen-point deficit at halftime to beat the Wizards 120-117. The Wizards had everything going their way the entire first half of the game. They made eleven 3-point shots while the Warriors were ice-cold from downtown. The Warriors made just three 3-pointers and trailed by fourteen 67-53 at the half. The Wizards had the Warriors on their heels as they ran the court well and had open looks as they drained three-pointers. Otto Porter and Kelly Oubre were doing the damage for the Wizards.
Marcin Gortat tallied twelve for the Wizards, and he was a force under the basket. The Warriors just could not get the offense going, and it looked as if Washington was going to run the Warriors off the court. Klay Thompson led the Warrior attack with 13, Steph had 12, and Kevin Durant was held to 7. However, with 19.5 seconds left to play in the second quarter, Washington’s backcourt ace, Bradley Beal got into a scuffle with Draymond Green. Green had position under the basket. Beal grabbed Draymond’s jersey with one hand and with the other, wrapped his right arm around Draymond’s neck. Draymond and Beal grabbed each other as teammates raced to break them up. Beal was given a technical foul and ejected. Draymond also received a technical but would not have had to leave the game except for the fact that he had picked up a technical earlier in the game.
In the second half, Coach Steve Kerr had to rely on his bench. David West, the veteran center, gave the Warriors a lift as he made eight shots in nine tries good for 16 points. Kevon Looney and Omri Casspi combined to tally 17. The Warriors started to play better defense, and Kevin Durant and Steph Curry picked up the offense. The Warriors outscored the Wizards 34-30 in the third quarter to trail by 10. Steph Curry made two 3-point shots and two free throws in the last minute of the third quarter.
The Warriors, for the second game in a row, rose to the challenge and came back to send the Wizards down to defeat. The Dubs outscored them 33-20 in the fourth quarter and won by three 120-117. It wasn’t easy, but the Warriors know how to win. They continued to play sound defense, and they made the Wizards work for their shots. The Warriors went on a 9-0 run late in the quarter to take a 116-109 lead.
The Wizards scored the next four points to trail by three 116-113 with 1:41 left. The Dubs made a bucket while the Wizards’ John Wall missed a free throw as the Warriors increased the lead to four 118-114. The Wizards kept the pressure on as they made a three-point shot and it was a one-point-game when they fouled Durant with 9.4 seconds left. Durant made both free throws. The Wizards took a timeout and inbounded the ball from the forecourt. The Warriors did not foul, and it almost cost them as the Wizards missed a three. The Warriors did not get the rebound and with 1.1 seconds left Washington could not capitalize, and the Dubs won.
Game Notes and stats- The Warriors honored Al Attles Friday night. Unfortunately, Al could not attend as he was in the hospital. Attles has been with the club for 58 years. He was a player, coach, general manager, and now the goodwill ambassador for the club. Attles was the coach when the Warriors won the NBA championship in 1975.
Steve Kerr had this to say about Attles. “Great to honor him,” Kerr said. “I know our fans who have been following us for a long time know about Al’s influence, but 57 years with the organization, obviously he won the championship with the team in `75, was GM, drafted Chris Mullin, one of the best players early on in the Warriors history. He’s pretty much done it all. Fitting tonight, we will honor him and his family. We know he’ll be watching on TV. I hope he’s not offended by my suit.”
Kevin Durant led the Dubs with 31 points, six assists, and eleven rebounds. Steph had 20 points, 8 assists, and five boards. Klay added 18. The Warrior bench of David West, Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, and Omri Casspi scored 40 points and helped ignite the comeback. Shaun Livingston was not available as he was away attending a funeral. Jordan Bell was inactive for the game.
Leading scorers for Washington were Otto Porter with 29. Kelly Oubre 19, Marcin Gortat 18, John Wall 20, Mike Scott and Jodie Meeks, coming off the bench, tallied 14 and 10 respectively for the Wizards.
The Warriors meet the Detroit Pistons Sunday at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 5:00 pm
Kings center Kosta Koufos (41) fouls New Orleans Pelicans forward DeMarcus Cousins (0) as he goes to the basket with Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) on Thursday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Hector Amezcuahamezcua@sacbee.com
By Tony Renteria
SACRAMENTO– DeMarcus Cousins return to the Capitol City resulted in a 114-106 win for the visiting New Orleans Pelicans. Cousins who was the heart and soul of the Sacramento Kings for six seasons before being traded last season made his first return to the Golden One the stadium where Kings fans thought he who play for years to come.
Cousins who electrified the Sacramento fans with his talent but also polarized the fan base with his constant need to argue with officials and lead the league in technical fouls once again stood center court and received a huge standing ovation. Cousins was acknowledge a few minutes in the first quarter during a time out and reacted in a classy and professional way by waving to the crowd and pounding his heart to return the love that was being bestowed by the home town fans.
Cousins was the pregame story and he took that into the game as well as he scored 41 points and added 23 rebounds in showing the Kings and the fans what they gave up when they traded the All Star last season. “It was a special night,” Cousins told the Sac Bee “The fans were beautiful, they were into the game, they let it be well known they hated every shot I made but now I see how other players feel when I used to be on this side, on the other side of the fence. I can remember games where the crowd was the reason we won it. It’s well known the Kings have incredible fans. They showed up tonight as well.”
The Kings held an early lead but as in most NBA games the team behind made a run in third quarter and put the pressure on the Kings who folded late in the fourth.
The Kings were lead by Rookie De Aaron Fox who is continuing to show why the young man from Kentucky was selected fifth in this years draft as he scored a team high 14 points and five assists.
The Kings now drop to 1-4 on the year and host the Washington Wizards on Sunday. The Pelicans 2-3 fly off to Cleveland to try to get to a .500 record on Saturday.
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, right, shoots against Toronto Raptors’ Jakob Poeltl, left, as Warriors’ Draymond Green, second from right, blocks Raptors’ Delon Wright (55) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. Warriors won, 117-112. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Jerry Feitelberg
Oakland – The Golden State Warriors showed the Toronto Raptors why they are champions as they came back from a five-point deficit with less than two minutes to play in the game to win by five 117-112.
The Warriors had their hands full with the Raptors all night long. The Dubs continue to make too many bad passes and the committed eighteen turnovers in the game. Draymond Green committed six turnovers, and that did not help the Warriors cause.
The two teams played a very spirited first quarter. The Raptors led most of the way, but the Warriors were able to have three-point advantage 29-26 at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors increased lead to 59-49 late in the first half, but Toronto kept rebounding and playing defense, and they trailed by eight at the half 61-53 The Warriors’ big four of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson did most of the scoring. Klay had 18, Steph 10, Draymond 11, and KD had 13. Serge Ibaka paced the Raptors with 11, DeMar DeRozan had 8, Kyle Lowery 7, and C.J.Miles tallied 10 coming off the bench.
In the third quarter, The Warriors seemed to have put its act together as they took a 14-point lead 71-57. The Raptors came right back and went on a 16-4 run to trail by just 2 points 75-73. The Warriors, behind a key 3-pointer by Steph Curry, regained a six-point lead 88-82 late in the period. Toronto would not fold and then trailed by just five 91-86 after three. The Raptors outscored the Warriors 33-30, and the play was fast and furious. Neither team would break, and the Raptors were poised to upset the Warriors at Oracle Arena.
The Warriors started the fourth quarter as KD and David West made key baskets to give Golden State an 11-point lead. The Raptors did not fold. They went on a 13-2 run to tie the game at 99. The Raptors defense kept the Warriors from scoring, and they went ahead 112-107 with just 1:52 left to play in the game. The Warriors then showed their fans, the NBA, and the world why they are champs. They scored the last 10 points of the game to win 117-112. Klay Thompson pulled down a key rebound Steph tied the game with a 3-point shot. Kevin Durant also made a key rebound. Steph made another three and finished the scoring with two free throws to ice the win for Golden State.
Game Notes and stats- Klay Thompson tallied 22 points, and he is donating a thousand dollars for each point he scores, and the money will go the victims of the Northern California Wildfires. The amount will go up as Klay will continue to donate his point total the next two games. Klay also extended his consecutive game streak to 59 by making a three-point shot in the first half. Steph led the Warriors with 30 points, and he had 5 assists, 4 rebounds and one blocked shot. KD added 29, and Draymond Green had a double-double with 15 points and 11 boards. David West led the bench with 8. After the game, Steph said this:”we didn’t play our best and they played a great game.”
The Raptors were paced by DeMar DeRozan with 24. Pascal Siakhan 20, Serge Ibaka 15, Kyle Lowrey, 14, C.J.Miles 10, and Jakob Poeltl had a double-double for Toronto with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
The Warriors improve to 3-2 and face the Washington Wizards Friday night at Oracle Arena. The Wizards are led by the dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. The Warriors will have to deal with Marcin Gortat, the big center that pushed Zaza Pachulia into Kevin Durant last year. Durant suffered a knee injury and missed about a third of the games last season. Markieff Morris, a power forward who averaged 14 points a game last year will not play as he is out with a sports hernia.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) comes up with the loose ball against Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, Monday, Oct. 23, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
by Jerry Feitelberg
DALLAS — The Golden State Warriors played a great first quarter, a not-so-good second quarter but put it all together in the third and fourth quarters to easily defeat the Dallas Mavericks 133-103.
The Warriors never trailed in the game. They seemed to be on a mission in the first quarter as they scored forty points and led 40-24 after the first twelve minutes of play. Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Klay Thompson all played well as the Dubs dominated. The second quarter, however, did not go as planned. The Mavericks refused to wilt and after trailing by eighteen put the pressure on the Warriors. There was no question the Mavs were outplaying the Warriors as the Dubs were committing too many fouls and too many turnovers. Dallas trailed by just one paint 63-62 late in the first half, but the Warriors made a bucket to end the half with a three-point advantage 75-62 Steph tallied 17, KD 15 and Klay had 8. The Mavericks’ leading scoring was Wesley Matthews with 14, Dirk Nowitzki had 6, Harrison Barnes 0, Yogi Ferrell 8, Dwight Powell 7 and J.J.Barea added 9.
The third quarter belonged to the Warriors once more. The Warriors stopped committing fouls and did not turn the ball over. They had terrific ball movement, and they pulled away from the Mavericks as they outscored them 34-22 in the third period. The offense was led by Steph, Klay, Draymond Green, and KD. THey propelled the Warriors to a 99-84 lead after three.
They kept it going in the fourth quarter. The outgunned Mavericks could do nothing as the Warriors behind KD, Klay, Andre Iguodala upped the lead to 111-89 with 6:17 left. Coach Steve Kerr removed the regulars, but the bench kept the momentum going and the Warriors cruised to a 133-103 victory.
Game Notes – The Warriors finished the road trip with a 2-1 record and evened the season record to 2-2. The Mavericks dropped to 0-4.
Steph Curry led the Dubs with 29 points. Curry made 13 free throws, and it was the third consecutive game that Curry has had double-digit free throws. Curry passed Nate Thurmond on the Warriors all-time scoring list and is now in fifth place. Klay Thompson finished the night with 21 points and has made a three-point shot in 58 consecutive games.
It was the first time the Dubs scored forty points in the first quarter, and it was the 43rd time in Kerr’s tenure.
Jordan Bell made a spectacular dunk in the fourth quarter. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle glared at Bell as Carlisle thought he was showboating. The players on the Warrior bench were absolutely amazed by the play. The Dubs bench played well. too. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingstone, JaVale McGee, and Nick Young came through for Golden State. Young was impressive as he made four 3-point shots and ended the game with 13.
The Mavs were led by Wesley Matthews 19, Dirk Nowitzki 11, Harrison Barnes, 13, Yogi Ferrell 13, Dennis Smith, Jr 10. J.J.Barea finished with 13 and Dwight Powell, the Stanford product, ended the night with 10.
The Warriors return home to face the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.
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