The Sacramento Kings allowed a hot start offensively from the Golden State Warriors and were unable to recover. They lost to the Warriors 98-88 in their third exhibition game of the season.
Performance of the game: Not a King tonight. Though he fouled out of the game, Stephen Curry looked like he was coming back to form for the Warriors. The Golden State guard made two of four 3-pointers en route to a 19 point outing. Overall, he shot an effective eight of 14 from the field. Honorable mention: Warriors guard Klay Thompson scored 15 points on five of 12 shooting from the field. I posed this question on Twitter and I’ll say it here – is there a backcourt in the NBA that can shoot the three ball better than the duo of Curry and Thompson?
Standout moments: Not one particular play stood out tonight. Rather it was a combination of bad moments that stuck out, particular on the defensive end. More on that in the answer to the first of our three questions pondered in our pregame preview.
Three answers to three questions pondered
1. How will the Kings defense hold up against a talented Warriors squad?
The Kings were outscored by the Warriors 10-1 to start the game. Sacramento especially struggled with their 3-point defense, allowing the Warriors to shoot 39 percent from beyond the arc. Help defense and pressure looked okay, but defending the three is an area they could stand to improve on before the regular season.
2. Will Cousins continue to roll through the opposition?
Cousins wasn’t dominant tonight. He got into foul trouble early, was limited in playing time in the first half and unable to get into a rhythm the rest of the game. Against the Warriors frontline, Cousins scored just eight points on two of 10 shooting from the field. The Kings big man battled foul trouble last year and his improvement this season depends on having fewer outings like tonight.
3. Will Harrison Barnes leave the Kings wondering “what if?”
The seventh overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft started for the Warriors this evening. He played just 21 minutes and scored five points on five shots. He battled teammates Brandon Rush and Draymond Green for playing time tonight. Unlike Damian Lillard, who the Kings saw Monday night, Barnes peformed like your typical rookie.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
