Category: NBA

Warriors grind out win over Blazers 100-92 at Moda Center

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) goes up against the Portland Trailblazers forward Justin Minaya (left) in the first half at the Moda Center in Portland on Thu Apr 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors defeated Portland Trailblazers on Thursday night at the Moda Center 100-92. Both teams were grappling with significant player absences. Portland’s head coach, Chauncy Billips, a recent inductee into Basketball’s Hall of Fame, had to contend with several key players on the injured list. The Warriors were in a similar predicament, with Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Gary Payton II unable to take the court on Thursday night. 

The Warriors have won 16 of the last 20 games on the road and eight of the last nine. The Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings are in a dogfight for the last three playoff spots. The Lakers did not play on Thursday. The Kings played the New Orleans Pelicans, and a Kings loss and Warriors win meant the three teams would be tied with identical records.

The Pelican beat the Kings, and the teams are tied in the standing with a record of 45-45. The Warriors own the tiebreaker over the Lakers and split the season series with the Kings. The Warriors have two games left to play. They face the Pelicans at the Chase Center on Friday night and end the regular season against the Utah Jazz on Sunday.

The understaffed Blazers gave the Warriors a run for their money for three and a half quarters. The Blazers took an early lead in the first quarter, going up 17-10. The Warriors struggled to find their rhythm, with the offense sputtering for the first six minutes of the game.

However, back-to-back threes by Jonathan Kuminga and Stephen Curry turned the tide, bringing the score to 19-18 in the Warriors’ favor. The quarter ended with the Warriors holding a slim two-point lead, 24-22.

The Warriors and Blazers refused to let their opponent get a big lead. The lead changed hands several times. The Warriors won the quarter by two points to lead 49-46 at the end of the first half. Curry and Kuminga paced the Warriors’ offense with 11.

Andrew Wiggins added ten. The Blazers’ big man, Deandre Ayton, had 15. Rookie guard Scoot Henderson added 12. The Warriors committed ten turnovers in the half. The Blazers scored ten points off the turnovers. The Blazers outshot the Dubs 53-38 in the half. The Warrior defense held the Blazers to 32% from the floor. 

The battle continued in the third period. Neither team would give an inch. The Blazers won the quarter by two points to trail by one, 75-74, heading into the fourth quarter. The first six minutes of the fourth and final period was a dogfight.

The Blazers looked to have the upper hand as they led by six 85-79. The Warriors got their offense working, and their defense was terrific. The Warriors went on a 21-7 run to win the game 100-92. The Warriors were ahead 92-86 after Kevon Looney made a key bucket.

There was 3:23 left to play. Looney then made a steal. He got the ball to Curry, and Curry made a superb pass to Brandin Podziemski. Podziemski made the bucket, and the Warriors went on to win 100-92. 

Game Notes: With the win, The Warriors are 45-35. The Blazers fell to 21-59.

The Warriors had four starters in double figures. Curry led the offense with 22 points, seven boards, and eight assists. Curry made five threes. Kuminga had 19, Andrew Wiggins 15, and Trayce Jackson-Davis had 10 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four blocked shots.

Podziemski and Kevon Looney each had nine points. Looney pulled down eleven rebounds. Moses Moody finished the night with eight points. The Blazers took 20 more shots than the Warriors. The Warriors scored 36 field goals in 77 tries, which was good for 46.8% from the floor. The Warriors’ defense held the Blazers to 36% from the floor. The defense also made eight steals and blocked 13 shots. 

The Warriors host the New Orleans Pelicans at the Chase Center on Friday night. The game will start at 7 p.m.

Kings can’t stop Pelicans who sweep season series in five games; New Orleans McCollum and Williams make themselves at home at Golden 1

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New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) goes airborne to pass off the basketball as the Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (10) tries to put a stop to the Pelicans offense under the basket in the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Thu Apr 11, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Thursday night in Sacramento. It was the Kings first game back home after a brutal road trip. The Kings lost games in New York, Boston, and Oklahoma City on a 1-3 trip. The Kings returned home a half game up on the Lakers for the 8th seed in the Western Conference.

The Kings were set to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night. The Kings had not beaten the Pelicans all season at 0-4 up to that point. The Kings and Pelicans tipped off at 7 PM PST. The Kings lost 135-123 to the Pelicans on Thursday night.

In the first quarter, the Kings played about as bad as they have all season. The Kings couldn’t buy a bucket and had no answer on defense. The lead would balloon to 33-11 with 2:55 in the quarter. It was an embarrassing show from the Kings up to that point in the game. However, the Kings were able to go on a brief run to end the quarter to get the game to 34-23. De’Aaron Fox would need a career-high to have a chance in this game.

In the second quarter, the Kings flipped the script. The Kings outscored the Pelicans in the second quarter 35-30. It wasn’t enough for the Kings to take the lead, but it was a start. The Kings would go into halftime trailing the Pelicans 64-58. The Kings would need to continue to push the pace in the second half to have a chance. De’Aaron Fox had 17 points in the first half. Trey Murphy III had 20 first-half points.

In the third quarter, the Kings would fight. However, they couldn’t make up any ground on the Pelicans. The Kings would go on small runs that were countered by a run by the Pelicans. The Kings were outscored by the Pelicans 34-31 in the third quarter of the game. The Kings would trail 98-89 going into the final quarter of play.

In the fourth quarter, the Pelicans would extend the lead to 20 points. However, the Kings would fight back to make it more of a game. The Kings would cut the lead to 10 points, but it was too little and too late. The Pelicans would defeat the Kings 135-123.

The Kings were outscored by the Pelicans in the fourth quarter 37-34. The Kings were led by De’Aaron Fox, who scored 33 points. The Pelicans were led by Zion Williamson, who scored 31 points. The Kings would try to get back on track in one of their last two games before the postseason.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Phoenix Suns on Friday at 7 PM PST.

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Warriors could very well catch Kings for a playoff spot as they head in different directions

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Its raining threes as the Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry takes a shot against the Los Angeles Lakers forward Cam Reddish (5) and guard Austin Reaves (15) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tue Apr 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Warriors podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 The Warriors are coming on strong and may not need the play in and could get a first round playoff series.

#2 Incredible game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena in the Southland as the Warriors hit 26 three pointers that was the most three pointers that the Lakers have given up in their history.

#3 Golden State tips off against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight in Portland. The Trail Blazers are 21-58 and are 14th in the Western Conference and have lost eight of their last ten games. How much of a struggle has the Blazers been on since the departure of former Blazer and star player Damian Lillard who now plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Join David Wednesdays for the Warriors podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kings Blow 20 Point Lead; Lose to Thunder 112-105; Sabonis double double streak ends at 61 games

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The Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren(right) drives on the Sacramento Kings Domantas Sabonis (left) at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Tue Apr 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

After leading by as much as 20 points, the Sacramento Kings (45-33) lost to the OKC Thunder (53-25) 112-105. We have seen them blow hefty leads lately in the second half of games. De’Aaron Fox had a terrific game with 33 points but ugly play at the end of the game was the difference. Sacramento just could not finish this game.

Game recap: The Kings were still without Malik Monk who is still out with a sprained right MCL and from some reports is healing very well. Sacramento had a great opening quarter leading after 12 minutes 31-28 in this highly competitive contest.

The Kings continued to extend their lead in the second quarter and with 5:31 left in the first half led 51-34. So far in this game the Kings had played a quality first half of basketball. With 18.2 left in the first half, the Kings had their largest lead of the game 64-44. At the half Sacramento took a 64-45 lead into the locker room.

De’Aaron Fox had a banner first half with 21 points and was 5 of 10 from beyond the arc and Keon Ellis was having a stellar game with 20 points and was 6 of 8 from three-point-land. The Kings had 14 triples in the first half.

Points from beyond the arc we’re making a huge difference in this game. The Kings were shooting at 44% while the Thunder were struggling shooting 22%. The Kings needed to come out with the same energy in the second half.

They had recently squandered a 21 point to the Knicks ultimately losing the game and they can ill afford a repeat of that game. The second half would be two of the most important quarters they have played all season.

With all that was riding on this game, the Kings came out flat in the third quarter. The Thunder, who are one of the best third quarter teams in the league, cut the Kings 19 point lead to three points going into the fourth quarter 87-84 and it will all hinge on how Sacramento would respond in the final quarter.

The Thunder took a two-point lead to start the fourth quarter and history was rearing it’s ugly head for the Kings. It had been a disastrous third quarter for Sacramento; they looked like an entirely different team unable to hit a bucket.

They took five shots in a row in the early minutes of the fourth quarter missing every one of them. The Thunder took a four point lead but the Kings fought back regaining the lead and it was on as both teams traded the lead back and forth with 7:42 left in the game.

The three’s that were falling for Sacramento in the first half were missing in the second half. With 2:27 left in the game, the Kings had a one point lead 105-104. With 35.7 seconds left in the game the Kings had let this game slip right through their fingers. Ugly mistakes at the end of the game spelled doom for the Kings in the 112-105 loss to the Thunder.

The Kings finished this game with 20 shots from downtown. Fox had 33 points and 8 rebounds but despite the flurry of long balls and Fox’s offense the Kings still lost this game. The Thunder crushed them in the paint and Domantas Sabonis for the first time in forever did not come away with a double double breaking an incredible streak. This was the Kings last road game of the season. They will play their remaining three games at Golden 1.

Game notes: The Kings are currently sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference a half game ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers and one game behind the seventh place New Orleans Pelicans. Tuesday night they took on the Thunderwho are currently in third place in the Western Conference and only one game behind the first place Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves who are tied in the top spot. The Kings could not hold onto a 20 point lead and ended up dropping the lead and the game. The Kings have only three games left.

Thursday night the Kings will take on the New Orleans Pelicans in Sacramento with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Warriors’ 26 threes propel them to win over Los Angeles Lakers 134-120

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) takes a jump shot between the Los Angeles Lakers Austin Reaves guard (15) and forward LeBron James (23) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Tue Apr 9, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitellberg

Two of the NBA’s most formidable teams clashed in Los Angeles Tuesday evening. The Lakers, winners of nine of the last eleven games, were determined to secure a win over the Warriors despite their key player Anthony Davis’s absence due to an eye injury. The Warriors, winners of seven of the last eight, were equally eager to win the season’s series. The Lakers’ resilience was evident as Jaxson Hayes, all seven feet of him, stepped up to start in place of Davis. 

The Warriors are 16-4 in their last 20 road games. With the win Tuesday night, they are 25-11 since January 30th. 

The Warriors beat the Lakers 134-120 on Tuesday night. Warrior fans saw the team make 26 threes in the game, a season-high for the Warriors in that department. The Warriors team record is 27 threes. Draymond Green connected five times from downtown, Stephen Curry made six threes in six tries, and Klay Thompson had five threes.

LeBron James returned to action after being out with the flu. He made his presence felt as he led the Lakers with 33 points and eleven rebounds. Not bad for a thirty-nine-year-old man.

The Warriors won the first quarter 38-29. Draymond Green(six), Thompson (8), and Brandin Podziemski (!0) were the key players in the quarter. The Warriors made seven threes and shot 58% from the floor. The Lakers mounted a comeback early in the second quarter to trail by three, 42-39.

Andrew Wiggins hit two threes to propel the to Warriors a 16-2 run. The Warriors made eight threes in the second period to finish the first half leading 71-60. Green and Thompson each had 15. Curry had 11. Wiggins scores ten points, all in the second period. Brandin Podziemski added ten. LeBron had 14, and Austin Reaves had 13.

The Warriors defense kept the Lakers at bay all through the third period. Former Warrior D’Angelo Russell made a couple of threes to ignite the Laker offense. The Lakers closed the gap to five, 85-80, but the Warriors kept making plays to lead by seven, 96-89. Podziemski made a three to start a 10-0 run to end the quarter. The Warriors led by 17, 106-89.

The Lakers did not go down without a fight. They started the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to trail 106-98. Chris Paul connected on a three, and the Lakers failed to defend Curry. Curry was alone behind the three-point line and did not miss.

The Warriors lead 112-100. The Lakers were toast. With a score of 130-117, head coach Steve Kerr pulled his top players from the floor and inserted the guys who usually sit on the bench. The Warriors won the game 134-120.

Game Notes: With the win, the Warriors are 44-35 with three games left. The Lakers dropped to 45-35. They have two games left on the schedule.

The Warriors had six players in double figures. Klay Thompson paced the attack with 27. Steph Curry had 23, Wiggins 17, Green 15, Podziemski 13, and Chris Paul 11. Draymond Green had a double-double. Green made ten assists, along with his 15 points. Gary Payton II had nine, Jonathan Kuminga eight. 

LeBron mJa, ed led the Lakers with 33 points, 11 assists and seven boards. Austin Reaves had 22, Russell 14, Dinwiddie 12, Jaxson Hayes 11, and Rui Hachimura, 20 

The Warriors play the Portland Trailblazers on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The ‘Warriors’ last two games will be against the New Orleans Pelicans and the Utah Jazz.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony Renteria: Every game counts for Kings in efforts to make post season

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The Brooklyn Nets forward Mikal Bridges (1) takes a jump shot against the Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (41) and guard DeAaron Fox (5) in the first half at Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Sun Apr 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Tony R:

#1  With only a handful of games left in the regular season, Sunday night’s game at Barclays Center mattered for the Sacramento Kings and they played like it did, dominating the Brooklyn Nets 107-77 and regaining the eighth seed.

#2 Sacramento’s 30-point blowout win came after back-to-back road losses that caused them to slip to the ninth seed in the Western Conference.

#3 DeAaron Fox scored a team-leading 20 points and Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and 20 rebounds to extend his double-doubles streak to 61 games, the seventh longest in NBA history.

#4 Brooklyn made a comeback effort in the third quarter, outscoring Sacramento 24-13 and cutting the Kings’ lead to 78-64. But the Kings responded with an 18-8 run in the first half of the final quarter. Fox made an impressive two-handed alley-oop dunk with 8:23 to go to give the Kings a 86-66 lead.

#5 The Kings (45-33) continue their road trip facing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday with tipoff at 5 p.m. PT.’

Join Tony for the Sacramento Kings podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

#1

Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbra Mason: Warriors always rev up towards post season

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The Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson (11) drives on the Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (8) in first half action at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Apr 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara:

#1 With four games left in the season the Warriors need to finish strong although they have clinched at least a play-in spot.

#2 Sunday night the Warriors played without Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins. Curry got a much needed rest and Wiggins continues to struggle with an ankle issue.

    #3 Klay Thompson stepped into a critical role in the absence of Stephen Curry and he did not disappoint playing a terrific game.

    #4 Off the bench the Warriors finally got to see Jonathan Kuminga who missed six games. He was also a huge part of this win and despite missing so much time he did not miss a beat.

    #5 Tuesday night the Warriors will take on the Los Angeles Lakers in a huge game. The Warriors will need every guy on the team to bring his A game in this highly anticipated game. You do not want to lose the match between the ninth and tenth place teams.

    Golden State Warriors podcast with Barbara Mason is heard Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

    Warriors Dismiss Utah Jazz 118-110

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    Guard Klay Thompson (11) for the Golden State Warriors is seen here in the first half after making one of his baskets. Thompson finished leading with 32 points against the Utah Jazz at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Apr 7, 2024

    By Barbara Mason

    In the absence of Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, the Golden State Warriors dismissed the Utah Jazz 118-110. Klay Thompson had the high for the Warriors with 32 points and Jonathan Kuminga scored 21 points off the bench in his return. Kuminga did not miss a beat after missing six games.

    Curry was not in Sunday night’s lineup taking this game off for some much needed rest. Wiggins continues to struggle with an ankle issue, Dario Saric is out with a knee injury and Gary Payton II was listed as probable. Kuminga was originally reported as out but he did take the court off the bench.

    Thompson led the starters playing alongside Draymond Green, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Chris Paul and Brandin Podziemski. Kuminga was a sight for sore eyes playing off the bench. He has been sorely missed.

    Golden State stomped the Jazz in the first 12 minutes leading after the first quarter 41-28 setting the tone for this runaway game. The Warriors outscored the Jazz in the second quarter and led at the half 68-54.

    The Warriors went on to win the third quarter 29-23 leading 97-77 going into the fourth quarter. At about the six minute mark, Golden State’s bench took the court for the remainder of the game. Thompson and Green sat for most of the fourth quarter.

    The final score was in favor of the Warriors 118-110. This win clinched at least a spot in the four-team play-in tournament in fact they were in before this game even got underway. Houston lost in overtime to the Dallas Mavericks 147-136 and finished the Rockets bid for a playoff spot.

    Thompson had the high score of 32 points for the game with five rebounds and went 6 of 13 from beyond the arc. From the start of the game, Thompson knew he would be expected to handle the bulk of the scoring in the absence of Curry and he did not disappoint. Thompson hit seven of his first ten attempts.

    Missing this game gave Curry a break of several days. He has already played in 71 games this season and really needed a few days off. Curry has not played this many games in any one season for quite a few years. This rest will get him ready to finish off the season next week especially in their highly anticipated game with the Los Angeles Lakers next Tuesday.

    Kuminga was excellent despite his time away from the team with 21 points off the bench. He had missed six games with tendonitis in both knees. Besides the 21 points he also had ten rebounds so he did not miss a beat in his return.

    The Warriors have won all three meetings against the Jazz this season with one more meeting to finish off the regular season. Golden State will have Monday off before taking on a huge game Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

    That game will be played in Los Angeles and promises to be a real barn-burner. The Lakers took on the Timberwolves Sunday night without LeBron James and Anthony Davis who went down in the first half.

    It is not known if either of them will be available on Tuesday night. At the time of this post the Lakers had made a run after trailing at the half 79-64. Minnesota had led by as much as 20 points when the Lakers pulled to within five points 90-85. As the fourth quarter got underway the Timberwolves had established a 106-92 lead at 9:09 in the fourth quart

    Game notes: With only five games left in the 2024 season the Warriors took on the Jazz at Chase Center Sunday evening. The Warriors continue to hang onto tenth place in the Western Conference with the Lakers and the Kings tied for eighth place. It will be a tight finish for a number of teams including the Warriors.

    Tipoff for Tuesday night’s game between the Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

    Kings Sabonis adds those double doubles his 61st in row defeats the Nets 107-77

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    Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) and Keegan Murray forward (13) exchange congratulations against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclay Center in Brooklyn on Sun Apr 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

    By Jessica Kwong

    BROOKLYN, NY. — With only a handful of games left in the regular season, Sunday night’s game at Barclays Center mattered for the Sacramento Kings and they played like it did, dominating the Brooklyn Nets 107-77 and regaining the eighth seed.

    Sacramento’s 30-point blowout win came after back-to-back road losses that caused them to slip to the ninth seed in the Western Conference.

    “Our guys did what they were supposed to do tonight,” said Kings head coach Mike Brown. “Obviously Brooklyn was short-handed and our guys came in and did a heck of a job defending. What I always say, ‘Let’s play physical’. Our guys did it.”

    De-Aaron Fox scored a team-leading 20 points and Domantas Sabonis had 18 points and 20 rebounds to extend his double-doubles streak to 61 games, the seventh longest in NBA history.

    The teams were in a head-to-head contest to start the first quarter, but by the end of it, Sacramento led 29-19 after Fox’s 19-foot step back jump shot with a second remaining.

    In the second quarter with 4:09 to go, Sabonis made a layup and his 10th point of the game. Then with 2:22 left to go, Sabonis got the rebound on a missed layup by Trendon Watford and extended his double-doubles streak. The Kings made 51.1% of their shots from the field and 43% of their attempts from behind the arc and ended the half up 65-40.

    Brooklyn made a comeback effort in the third quarter, outscoring Sacramento 24-13 and cutting the Kings’ lead to 78-64. But the Kings responded with an 18-8 run in the first half of the final quarter. Fox made an impressive two-handed alley-oop dunk with 8:23 to go to give the Kings a 86-66 lead. Sacramento surpassed 100 points with 2:49 remaining, when Kessler Edwards made a triple to put them up 102-74.

    “I thought our sprays were fantastic, we were six-for-12 in sprays in the first half and I thought the second half, we continued to spray the basketball. We got good looks in that third quarter. We just couldn’t make a shot, you know,” said Brown.

    “But I thought our guys tried to play the right way in the third quarter and then they figured it out in the fourth.”

    The Kings shot 34% from the field, which Brown called “good basketball, doesn’t matter who you’re playing against”.

    Keegan Murray, who scored 19 points, noted that “every game’s important” given the team’s spot in the standings.

    “We just wanted to come out with great energy and effort and I feel like we started that and it just carried over throughout the game,” said Murray. “So I feel like if every single game we start like that, we can be well off.”

    Off the bench, Trey Lyles contributed 14 points and Davion Mitchell scored 12.

    “I think the main thing is, just keep working on my game. I mean, no matter if I’m playing or not playing, just keep putting the time in and keep being consistent,” said Mitchell. “I mean, shots are going to fall, I need to find a way to put two halves together but we’re going to figure that out.”

    When the teams last played against each other on December 11, the Kings scored 25 three-pointers and set a franchise record in the 131-118 win at home.

    The Nets (31-48) are outside of playoff contention but have been continuing to show effort. Coming off back-to-back wins, they had hoped to deliver a blow to the Kings in their penultimate home game of the season.

    Sacramento had slipped off the eighth seed after consecutive losses on the road against the New York Knicks on Thursday and against the Boston Celtics on Friday. The Kings lost to the Knicks 120-109 and had a painful 101-100 loss to the Celtics after a controversial no-call in the last seconds at TD Garden.

    The Kings (45-33) continue their road trip facing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday with tipoff at 5 p.m. PT.

    Warriors Have No Answer for P.J. Washington Losing To Mavericks 108-106

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    The Dallas Mavericks forward PJ Washington (25) scores on the Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second half at American Airlines Arena in Dallas on Fri Apr 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

    By Barbara Mason

    The Golden State Warriors (42-35) played the Dallas Mavericks close for the entire game. With 4.1 seconds left on the clock the Warriors went for the win trailing 108-106. Klay Thompson attempted a three at the end of the game just missing in a wild one. P.J. Washington had an amazing game with 32 points and the Warriors were unable to stop him.

    The Warriors continue to hold down tenth place in the Western Conference standings four games ahead of the Houston Rockets. Friday night they took on the Dallas Mavericks after beating them at Chase Tuesday night 104-100.

    The season is winding down at light-speed with the Warriors final regular season game on Sunday afternoon at Chase on April 14th. They have four more games after tonight before the finale against the Utah Jazz on Sun Apr 14th. The Mavericks were without superstar Luca Doncic out with knee soreness, the tenth game he has missed this season. The Warriors were still without Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins will also miss this game.

    Game recap: The opening quarter could not have been closer with the Warriors prevailing 32-31. Golden State also won the second quarter by a single point 22-21 leading at the half 54-52. Both teams fought hard in the first half and going into the second half, this would turn into a real battle.

    At the end of the third quarter this game remained a close one although the Mavericks had taken the lead 79-76. Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington were carrying the team on their back. On the other side it was Stephen Curry who single handedly was willing his team to a win. He had help from his bench from Gary Payton II and Brandin Podziemski.

    The fourth quarter got underway and it was a dandy. The Mavericks had led the entire way. The Warriors pulled to within one point 105-104 with under a minute left in the game. The one-point Dallas lead continued to the 21 second mark.

    A lengthy challenge was lost by Golden State giving P.J. Washington a couple of free throws. He missed the first badly but made the second giving Dallas a 106-104 lead. With 13.0 seconds left on the clock Curry tied up the game at 106.

    The Mavericks struck back hitting a 3-foot layup taking a 108-106 lead. The Warriors had 4.1 to shoot and either try to tie up the game or go for the game winner. Thompson went for the three; he went for the win but missed and Dallas had won the battle 108-106.

    Curry finished with 28 points the high for the Warriors. Thompson who missed that final shot had 16 points. Gary Payton II, and Brandin Podziemski both had 14 points off the bench. The team awaits the return of both Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins hopefully sooner rather than later.

    This was a nice win for Dallas especially in the absence of Luca Doncic. P.J. Washington finished with 32 points and Kyrie Irving with 26 points. The Mavericks remain in fifth place in the Western Conference.

    The Warriors will now take on the Utah Jazz at Chase Sunday evening. This is a game that Golden State should win, they are highly favored in this one. Tipoff for this game is scheduled for 5:30 P.M.