Warriors win Pivotal Road game in Sacramento NBAcom

Warriors win Pivotal Road game in Sacramento – NBA.com

To control their destiny for a guaranteed playoff spot, the Warriors secured their 10th away win of the season, defeating the Kings 119-97 in Sacramento on Friday. The Splash Brothers had a combined 54 points while the Dubs outplayed the Kings by 17 points in the second half (66-49).

With Friday’s win, the Warriors can secure a guaranteed top-six seed in the playoffs by winning their season finale in Portland on Sunday.

Highlights of the Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings

squad leader

GSW

Pointsreboundsassists
Thomas – 29Looney – 16DiVincenzo – 9
Curry – 25curry – 7Looney – 7
DiVincenzo – 18DiVincenzo – 6curry – 6

BAG

Pointsreboundsassists
Lyle – 15Mead – 9Mitchell – 5
Mead – 15Lyle – 8Davis/Dozier – 3
Barnes – 13len – 6Holmes/Murray – 3

Strike a defensive tone early on
The Warriors set the tone defensively in the first quarter on Friday, holding the Kings to just 16 points, which was the fewest points they’d conceded in a quarter all season and their lowest opponent’s field goal percentage in the first quarter, 25.9 percent (7-for-27).

Before Friday’s game, the 2022-23 Kings were the team with the most points over the past 30 seasons, averaging 121.3 points. Conversely, the Warriors struggled defensively on the road all season and ranked 28th in defensive standings (119.6) outside the Chase Center. Still, the Dubs’ defensive intensity early in the game indicated that they were deadlocked and understood the magnitude of the playoff implications attached to this matchup.

For the game, the Warriors held Sacramento 38.8 percent from field and 28.2 percent from 3-point range. Although the Kings attempted 20 more shots than the Dubs (largely due to the Warriors’ 24 turnovers), they conceded three shots, 41-38.

Gary Payton II with the rejection

Kevon Looney Rebound Milestones
Kevon Looney leads the league in offensive rebounds (271) and had five more in Friday’s first quarter. After opening the game with a dunk, Looney found both Splash Brothers for 3-pointers created by his extra effort on the offensive glass. He had seven assists for the game, the second most he had in a game this season, trailing just behind his nine dime win against the Sixers on Dec. 16. Additionally, Looney had a season-high 13 halftime rebounds in his first season, the most rebounds in a half by a Warrior since David Lee in 2013. When he plays the Blazers in Sunday’s season finale, Looney will be the first Warrior to do so the entire season of 82 consecutive season games played since Antawn Jamison nearly 20 years ago.

Looney’s extra effort leads to Thompson Splash

Dubs catch fire in the third quarter
The Warriors were red hot in the third quarter, shooting 65 percent from the field (11-17) and hitting six 3-pointers. After Kings center Alex Len made a layup, the Warriors extended their lead from 9-1 to 11. Despite an 11-0 Kings run, the Dubs regained control and ended the quarter with a 13-point lead.

Stephen Curry moves and squirts

Klay Thompson’s 3-point streak
Klay Thompson hit five threes on Friday, his sixth straight game with at least five threes, a feat no other player has managed this season. Thompson led all scorers with 29 points and leads the league in 3-point match (295).

Klay Thompson sinks the 3-pointer

Next
The Warriors can place in the top six in their season finale against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday (12:30 p.m. NBCSBA) in the 2023 NBA playoffs.