SLEEP TRAIN ARENA, SACRAMENTO, CA — This is a continuation of the halftime recap of the Golden State Warriors at the Sacramento Kings.
The Warriors took a slim 60-58 lead into the second half.
3rd Quarter – Cousins’ 4th Foul Sends Kings Downhill
After going just 2-for-9 in the first half, Klay Thompson started off the third quarter with a three, Brandon Rush continued his strong play with a cutting layup assisted by Thompson, but Rudy Gay answered with two jumpers.
However, the Warriors took advantage as DeMarcus Cousins, who had scored 21 points in the first half, was called for a charge, his fourth personal foul, at the 9:44 mark, forcing Kings head coach George Karl to sub him out.
Rush drilled a three from the right corner and Karl took a timeout as the Warriors started to get a little separation with a 68-62 lead and 9:29 remaining in the third stanza.
But Draymond Green caught two touchdown passes off consecutive missed three-pointers by Rajon Rondo, and Green’s second bucket, a two-handed slam after he blocked Rondo’s attempt, put Golden State up, 76-64, as Karl called another timeout with 8:06 left:
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Marco Belinelli drilled a triple from the left wing, but later lost a defensive rebound to Thompson, who scored an easy layup.
At the 5:55 mark, Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton brought in Harrison Barnes for Andrew Bogut, effectively going small, and Golden State looked to add to their 76-69 lead, after Klay got this nice pass from Bogut:
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Green hit his fifth triple of the night after he fed Klay in the post and was triple-teamed, then from a post-up on Belinelli with help from Rondo, Draymond found Andre Iguodala sneaking into the paint for a dunk.
Thompson added a runner, but Darren Collison provided a spark for the Kings, getting a three and a layup past Curry in transition in response.
But later, Steph pulled out a rabbit from the hat, getting into some trouble dribbling the ball with his brother Seth Curry hounding him, and when Curry finally reached the left wing from the top from a circuitous path, he sensed he had enough room to just pull the trigger.
Brother on brother. #StephGonnaSteph on @csnauthentic. @StephenCurry30 #NBAVote pic.twitter.com/OyLsIzGmu1
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) January 10, 2016
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He did, from the left wing beyond the arc, the ball swished through, and that gave the Warriors a 90-78 lead with 1:52 left.
But Seth answered back with an upfake on Steph and a nice assist to Collison under the hoop, but Barnes answered back with a laser pass to Iguodala, who then sent a dart to Shaun Livingston in the paint. Livingston converted the little fadeaway jumper.
Ezeli added a jump hook on a catch from Curry’s tenth assist and Steph added free throws with 3.5 seconds remaining, but Willie Cauley-Stein got an alley-oop and then, with 0.3 seconds to go, drew a Flagrant One foul on Green.
The Warriors held a 96-84 lead heading into the final frame.
4th Quarter – Kings Try A Comeback
The bench unit, with Livingston, Ian Clark, Barnes, Iguodala, and Ezeli, held up this time around as Livingston and Barnes made jumpers and Iguodala added his own rattling jumper, plus a dunk down the lane that gave him 11 points on 5-for-8 field.
That maintained the Warriors’ buffer at 10-491 with 8:18 to play.
But like in the first half, Cousins asserted his will on the game, made a triple, then an “and-one” against Clark, keeping the Kings in the game, 106-97, with 6:58 remaining as Walton re-inserted Curry and Thompson to join Livingston, Rush, and Ezeli.
Ezeli scored a dunk as he slipped to down the lane on a pick-and-roll with Curry which drew Cousins…
Perfectly done. Festus finish of the @StephenCurry30 dish1 #NBAVote (CSNBA) pic.twitter.com/wkFmToyPS7
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) January 10, 2016
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…then Festus stopped Rudy Gay at the rim twice before Livingston led the break and found Klay for a reverse layup.
With 5:35 to go, Karl called another timeout as Golden State kept its lead at 110-99.
Steph hit a fallaway three, but Cousins answered with an “and-one” on an attack against Bogut, limiting the effect of the potential Curry momentum-changer.
Curry then drove to the middle, dished back to Green with a behind-the-back pass, Green swung the ball to Thompson on the left wing, who made an extra pass to Steph sneaking into the left corner in front of the Kings’ bench.
The Warriors are are the greatest show in hoops pic.twitter.com/93rVxwcghM
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) January 10, 2016
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With the Sacramento bench yelling for a miss, Steph turned around at them after the shot in triumph — before the shot became official on the scoreboard — and the three-ball swished through and Golden State had a 118-102 lead, but the Kings made an improbable comeback.
Gay, Cousins, and Belinelli hit consecutive triples to halve the deficit in less than one minute after Green threw a pass into the baseline seats and Klay missed a catch-and-shoot trey attempt.
Just like that, the Kings were within striking range as Walton called timeout with 3:27 to go, the Warriors up 118-111.
Green got fouled, but missed both free throws, and Sacramento closed to within 118-113 as Gay rattled home a dunk on a putback of a Cousins attack of the rim.
However, Barnes came up big again, as he had done prior to his injury, with a late shotclock jumper that trickled on the backboard and rim to put the Dubs ahead, 120-113. Time was running out for the Kings.
Cousins missed inside, defended well by Green, with Cousins barking at the refs, then Green took the ball upcourt and found Iguodala for a two-handed dunk.
As he had done in the first half, Rondo inexplicably took a three from the top, missing, and later on a miss by Belinelli, Barnes grabbed the board, fell down, and called timeout in the process.
The Kings still wouldn’t go away as Belinelli hit a three, making it 122-116, after Curry’s pass was deflected and went off Iguodala on the sideline, but another vintage “tic-tac-toe” that had Klay enter the ball to Green in the post against Rondo, only to find Curry cross-court beyond the arc for a swish, all but ended Sacramento’s hopes.
That gave Golden State a 125-116 lead and when Cousins missed a three with Green closing out, DeMarcus sought out the ref for an angry yell and easily picked up a technical, putting a nail on the Kings’ coffin.
After the technical free throw, Steph did a step-back long two against Rondo…
Stephen Curry dances on Rajon Rondo pic.twitter.com/5V8d9MHZMI
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 10, 2016
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…putting the finishing touches on a 128-116 Warriors (35-2) win over the Kings.
(Photo: @letsgowarriors Instagram account via @jessrn_88)
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