The Golden State Warriors overcame a sloppy overall performance to defeat the Sacramento Kings 102-101 on Wednesday night at Chase Center. While Kings star point guard De’Aaron Fox was out with a right ankle sprain, Sacramento put up an impressive fight, and was able to push the Dubs until the final minute.
The Warriors got out to a double-digit lead early in the first quarter, but Sacramento climbed out of the early hole in large part thanks to a zone defense that seemed to perplex the Dubs for multiple quarters. Golden State was generally sloppy and committed 17 turnovers over the course of the game. Steph Curry was a prime culprit, costing the Dubs seven possessions.
The Warriors led 90-89 with four minutes left in regulation. A Chris Paul steal setup Curry for a three. Curry missed, but Draymond Green grabbed the offensive rebound and passed the ball to Kevon Looney for an easy layup to push Golden State ahead 92-89.
Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes each knocked down a pair of free throws on opposite sides of another missed three by Curry to give the Kings a 93-92 lead. After another couple minutes of back-and-fourth baskets, the Kings had the ball and led 99-98 with 60 seconds left in regulation.
Malik Monk drove inside but had his shot blocked by Green, which eventually forced a shot clock violation. Going the other way, Curry drove inside and dropped in a teardrop to give the Dubs a 100-99 lead. The Kings stormed back and Domantas Sabonis banked in a mid-range shot to put Sacramento ahead 101-100 with just over 10 seconds remaining.
Rather than using one of their two remaining timeouts, the Warriors ran up court and let the clock tick toward zero. The Kings did a good job denying Curry, but Green dropped the ball off to Klay Thompson. Thompson drove inside and pulled up from just beyond the free-throw line and splashed in the game-winning shot.
There were technically 0.2 seconds remaining on the clock, but Monk was unable to get a shot off on the inbounds play.
Sabonis finished with a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds. Curry was the only other player with at least 20 points (21). Green had one of his best all-around performances since returning to the floor, recording 13 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Off the bench, Dario Šarić had his best game in a Warriors’ uniform, scoring 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field in fewer than 20 minutes of action.
The Warriors will now head back on the road for another East Coast swing. They will take the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Opening tip off is scheduled for 5:00 PM Pacific.