Sacramento Kings’ Willie Cauley-Stein lays up a shot against Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Jerry Feitelberg
OAKLAND — On a night when the Warriors played without Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, they were not able to overcome their absence and lost 110-106 to the visiting Sacramento Kings. The two teams played a very close and entertaining game, and the final outcome was in doubt for the entire 48 minutes. Warriors coach Steve Kerr started Patrick McCaw in place of Curry, and Omri Casspi filled in for Durant. McCaw played very well He tallied 16 points, seven assists, three rebounds, one blocked shot, and four steals. Klay Thompson led the team in scoring, and he knocked down five three-point shots, but he missed a three at the end of the game that would have won it for the Dubs.
The Kings, coached by Dave Joerger, probably played their best game of the year. The Kings are not known as a good shooting team, but shot 53% from the floor and made nine three-point shots as they upset the Warriors. The Kings had five players in double figures, and the stats will show how even the game was.
Both teams played well in the first quarter as the first 12 minutes ended with the teams tied at 27. With Sacramento leading by a point (36-35), the Dubs went on an 11-2 run to lead 46-38. The Kings refused to wilt and clawed their way back to finish the first half trailing by two (55-53). McCaw and Thompson led the Warriors with nine points each. Nick Young gave the Dubs a boost as he poured in eight. The Kinds were led by Zach Randolph and Garrett Temple. The Kings’ bench of Bogdan Bogdanovich, Willy Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, and Frank Mason III all made contributions to the Kings’ offense.
In the third quarter, it appeared that the Warriors had found their mojo as they were able to take a seven-point lead (76-69). The Kings were not to be denied. They continued to attack the Warriors’ defenses and went on a 9-0 run at the end of the period to take the lead 83-82. They increased the lead to six (90-84), but David West made a two-point shot, and Andre Iguodala connected on a three to tie the game at 92. The Warriors increased the lead to five (106-101), but the Kings tied the game at 106 with 1:43 left in the game. The Kings took the lead for good when they scored a bucket with 12.6 seconds left to play. The Warriors had a chance, but Thompson missed the shot, and the Warriors had to foul. The two free throws were made to seal the victory for Sacramento.
Game notes and stats — The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 16 three-pointers, but it wasn’t good enough. The Kings shot 53% from the floor, and they made nine threes. The Kings had seven more free throws and outscored the Dubs by seven in that department. The Warriors recorded 31 assists, which indicated the team had good ball movement. The Kings had 27. Rebounds were even. The Warriors had nine steals and six blocks while the Kings had seven steals, and they too, had six blocked shots.
The Warriors’ scoring leaders were Thompson with 21, McCaw with 16, Green with 14, Iguodala with 11, Livingston with 10, Casspi with nine, D. West with eight, and Young with eight.
The Kings’ Cauley-Stein had a terrific game. His line was 19 points, six assists, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots. George Hill had four threes and ended the night with 16. Temple had 14, Randolph had 11, Skal Labissiere had nine, and Frank Mason 14.
The Warriors embark on their longest road trip of the year when they meet the L.A. Lakers Wednesday night. They then go to Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Charlotte and finish the trek in Detroit.
Game time for Wednesday’s game with the Lakers is at 7:30 pm PT.
