Skal Labissière forward (8) Stockton Kings gets ready to throw down against the visiting Santa Cruz Warriors at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Wed Dec 11, 2024 (image by Stockton Kings)
By William Espy
STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings returned home after a lengthy road trip to once again faceoff against the Santa Cruz Warriors. Nick Kerr’s Warriors won two in a row prior to their matchup at Adventist Health Arena, while the Kings lost their last outing against the Salt Lake City Stars but found themselves second in the West Division. On Wednesday night different story the Kings played a close game and defeated the visiting Warriors 120-117.
Stockton Starters: Terry Taylor, Isaiah Crawford, Skal Labissiere, Dexter Dennis, Jon Elmore
Warriors Starters: Kevin Knox, Javan Johnson, Seth Maxwell, Marcus Burk, Yuri Collins
Skal Labissiere opened the scoring for the Kings, and they maintained an early lead but the Warriors were keeping it close. Eventually, the Warriors got their first lead of the night just over halfway through the first quarter. Marcus Burk hit a corner three, making it 18-17 in favor of the visiting team.
Skal Labissiere was the Kings’ main source of offense early on, while Kevin Knox was the same for the Warriors. After the Warriors extended their lead to 20-17, Stockton went on an 8-0 run to regain the lead quickly. Drew Timme made an instant impact off of the bench, scoring six points in his first two minutes on the court. At the end of the first quarter, the Kings led 36-29.
That lead would only continue to grow in the second quarter. For the most part, the Kings maintained a double-digit lead for most of the frame. Dexter Dennis had a strong start to the quarter seemingly scoring at will. At the half, Stockton led 65-55.
Labissiere and Isaiah Crawford led the Kings with 13 points each, while Dennis had 11. Meanwhile, for Santa Cruz, Blake Hinson led his team with 13 of his own while Knox had 11. One key difference between the two teams was efficiency.
Stockton was shooting 57.1% from the field, while their opposition was held to 39.2%. Defensively, the game was a completely different story though. The Warriors had seven steals, which were a big part of the Kings’ eight first-half turnovers, they just hadn’t been able to turn them into points.
Santa Cruz started the second half with energy, going on an 8-0 run to bring the game within 2 points before Stockton was forced to call a timeout. Terry Taylor eventually broke the run, and momentum swung in the Kings’ favor who looked to extend their lead. Stockton’s lead would only be five points at the end of the third quarter, as the Warriors kept themselves in the game.
As the fourth quarter reached its halfway point, the Warriors brought the game back within a single point. Stockton kept trying to pull away, but Santa Cruz kept themselves in it. For the first time since the first quarter, the Warriors took the lead with just five minutes remaining in the game, making it 106-105.
Labissiere quickly put the Kings back in the lead, but from there it was a game of pinball as it went back and forth. With just over a minute left, the Warriors held the lead but Crawford was sent to the free-throw line with an opportunity to tie it up for Stockton.
The Warriors went down and took the lead, but as Yuri Collins went down in discomfort at the other end of the court, Crawford drew another foul. This time, he had a chance to give the Kings the lead on an and-one. He missed the free throw, but Santa Cruz knocked the ball out of bounds, giving the Kings possession once again. Taylor would end up drawing another foul, and his points were the difference maker as the Kings walked away victorious, 120-117.
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