Kings keep rolling with their third consecutive win over Golden State Warriors
Harrison Barnes scored 21 points, De’Aaron Fox played through some nagging pains and the Kings kept rolling, defeating the Golden State Warriors 112-94 on Tuesday night as “Sac-ra-mento” chants rang out inside Chase Center in San Francisco.
Fox also finished with 21 points for the Kings (24-33), who have won three in a row and nine of 13 to get within four games of the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies. Buddy Hield scored 15 of his 19 in the second half. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 17 points.
Marquese Chriss had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Warriors (12-46). Andrew Wiggins had 16 points.
The Kings have won all three games against the Warriors this season. Sacramento had not won three in a row against Golden State since the Kings enjoyed a 15-game winning streak in the series from Jan. 15, 2000 to Nov. 16, 2003.
The Kings led 33-22 following a nearly flawless first quarter. They shot 59.1 percent from the field, made 4 of 8 from 3-point range and recorded 11 assists on 13 made baskets with only two turnovers.
Barnes had the hot hand early, scoring 14 points in the opening period. The Kings led by as many as 12 in the first quarter and went up by 16 on a basket by Harry Giles III midway through the second. Giles finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, just missing his second consecutive double-double.
The Kings carried a 55-43 lead into the halftime break and extended their lead to 18 on a three-point play by Fox early in the third quarter, but the Warriors wouldn’t go away. They staged a 16-2 run to get within four on a free throw by Damion Lee midway through the third.
Sacramento led 81-73 at the start of the fourth. Hield buried three 3-pointers in the first 1:22 to put the Kings up 90-73. The Warriors cut the deficit to eight with 5:01 remaining, but they couldn’t get any closer.
Assorted aches and pains for Fox
Fox has been playing through a variety of aches and pains.
The 22-year-old point guard left the game late in the first quarter and was led to the locker room for treatment. He returned to the visitor’s bench early in the second quarter. Moments later, the Kings announced Fox was experiencing right groin tightness but would return to the game.
Fox moved fairly well but was repeatedly seen stretching and testing the groin. He logged a total of 32 minutes.
Fox has been bothered for weeks by the left ankle he sprained earlier this season, most noticeably after games. He woke up Friday morning with left shoulder pain, which seemed to cause considerable discomfort when he threw down a first-half dunk. Fox said he isn’t worried about the injuries.
“Nah, I’m still out there playing,” he said. “I feel like I’m still able to affect the game, so I’m fine.”
Kings coach Luke Walton wasn’t overly concerned either.
“They tell me he’s good to go,” Walton said. “I asked him at halftime. He said, ‘Play me.’ Between our medical staff and talking to him, I feel confident. He came out and made some big-time plays in that second half and seemed to be all right. We’ll go about it smartly and we’ll give him off days when he needs it and rehab and treatment and all that.”
Prioritizing pace
The Kings have been saying for months they want to pick up the pace. They ranked third in the NBA in pace last season under former coach Dave Joerger, but they are 24th this season under Walton.
Walton has emphasized half-court execution and defense over tempo this season, but Walton said he is prioritizing pace, among other things, coming out of the All-Star break. The Kings are eighth in pace over their last five games and were No. 1 in their first two games after the break.
“With these final 28 games coming out of the break, pushing the pace was one of those things that we want to make sure, no matter how the season ends, we go into the offseason with that in mind,” Walton said. “We’re continuing to stress our transition defense and some other key points as well. You can’t throw everything on the table and expect the guys to get better at all of it, but, yeah, pushing the pace is one of those things that we’re making a point to make sure … we build some momentum with that.”
Wounded Warriors
The Kings didn’t see Warriors All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson or Draymond Green on Tuesday,but they might see Curry when the teams meet again in the regular-season finale at Golden 1 Center on April 15.
Green was held out due to a right pelvic contusion. He has missed the past two games. The three-time All-Star is averaging 8.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.
Curry hopes to make his long-awaited return against the Washington Wizards on Sunday at Chase Center, but that determination won’t be made until he is reevaluated Saturday, a league source told The Sacramento Bee. Curry has missed 54 games with a broken left hand. The two-time MVP, three-time NBA champion and six-time All-Star sustained the injury in the fourth game of the season against the Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors recently announced that Klay Thompson, a five-time All-Star, will not return this season. Thompson has missed all 58 games with a torn ACL in his left knee.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Richaun Holmes (shoulder); Marvin Bagley III (foot).
Warriors: OUT — Stephen Curry (hand); Klay Thompson (Achilles); Draymond Green (pelvis).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 27 at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m.
Feb. 28 at Memphis, 5 p.m.
March 1 vs. Detroit, 3 p.m.
March 3 vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
March 5 vs. Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 25, 2020 at 10:09 PM.
