Warriors Game Day: Sights & Sounds From #WarriorsGround – Total Domination Of The Sacramento Kings (Photo: @solerestorer Instagram account)
PRE-GAME
It was Polynesian Night at #WarriorsGround tonight. Not only that, but earlier at morning shootaround, Stephen Curry showed off his flourescent green shoes honoring NBA Green Week, practicing pump fakes from beyond the arc. He was also practicing quick-release shots where there wasn’t as much bending, an indication of his repertoire of various shot releases.
Tonight at #Roaracle was a dual event because of the Oakland Athletics baseball game, so traffic was tight, but some fans managed to have a little fun in the mix. It turned out that the A’s game would get postponed due to unplayable conditions caused by the rain.
Warriors head coach Mark Jackson first announced that Andre Iguodala would get the start, then gave media an injury update on both David Lee and Andrew Bogut.
“Neither guy has done anything with the team on the floor,” Jackson said, “Both guys are better today than when they got hurt.”
At pregame shootaround, we got a closer look at Curry’s shoes. Meanwhile, Kings head coach Mike Malone had some high praise for Curry in regards to how his game has changed this year compared to years past.
“He’s doing a better job of being a playmaker,” Malone said, “His ability to handle and shoot have always been there. His assist numbers are up. I think his turnovers are up as well, but he has the ball in his hands so much. Every year that kod plays he gets better and better, a testament to his hard work.”
During pregame warm-ups, Jordan Crawford shot around at the same time as Iguodala.
IN-GAME
The Warriors got out to a great start, leading 21-8 early on with 1:18 to go in the first quarter. Klay Thompson was doing a tremendous job getting into the lane, totaling 9 points already. By the end of the first frame, it was #Warriors 25, Kings 14.
Golden State was outscoring Sacramento 16-0 in the paint and holding the Kings to just 3-for-16 shooting.
Harrison Barnes came alive, at last, in the second quarter as he converted a three-pointer then punctuated it with a dunk the next time down. Malone called timeout again, but by then the Kings were hemorraging with the Dubs leading 40-18 with 6:37 to go in the half. Prior to that, Barnes seemed to continue his struggles, with not only a missed shot but also an airball inside the paint. So his spark came as a welcome relief.
The hustle and determination of the Warriors paid off in the first half. Here’s a courtside clip of Draymond Green ffinding a cutting Thompson after Jermaine O’Neal had forced and won a jump ball on a Warriors missed shot.
At halftime, the score was an astounding 59-27 in favor of the Warriors.
It was, quite simply, total domination. Barnes had 9 points while Thompson added 14. Curry had 11 points and 5 assists.
Near the end of the third quarter, we had a palindrome score with the Warriors up 84-48. The Kings called timeout and the man in the gold jacket danced to the delight of the jumobtron operator. We wondered, shouldn’t Mr. Gold Jacket smile a little bit? Our commenters on Instagram didn’t seem to care.
When all was said and done, the Warriors crushed the Kings, 102-69. Golden State had seven players in double-figures, led by Thompson with 21.
POST-GAME
After the game Coach Jackson commented out how winning in this fashion allowed the Warriors a few luxuries, such as more rest for Iguodala and Barnes perhaps finally finding a rhythm.
“Guys were able to get rest,” Jackson said, “Guys like Andre got his test and Harrison got it going. It’s good to see him make some shots. We’re gonna need him. I believe in him and it’s just good to see him getting it going a little bit.”
During the 2nd half, Marreese Speights converted a thunderous dunk, with the harm. When asked in the locker about the reaction of his teammates to his dunk, Speights said, jokingly, “Huh? What happened?”
Green said it was good to see Barnes hitting some shots.
“Sometimes that’s all you need just see one go then all of a sudden you feel a lot better about yourself and your confidence,” Green said.
All in all, it was a fruitful game for the Warriors. It was even for our East Coast correspondent, @DubsPlayLoud, who pleaded with us on Twitter to get him a “CSN Authentic Fan” placard. We obliged, as there were a few untouched ones left taped the backs of seats that fans did not gobble up.
The Warriors face the lowly Utah Jazz two days from now on Sunday evening at #Roaracle.
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