Starting Line-ups
Kings
- Beno Udrih
- Tyreke Evans
- Omri Casspi
- Jason Thompson
- DeMarcus Cousins
Reserves: Jermaine Taylor, Donté Greene, Samuel Dalembert, Carl Landry, Luther Head, Darnell Jackson, Pooh Jeter.
Inactive: Hassan Whiteside, Francisco Garcia (sprained left calf).
Warriors
- Stephen Curry
- Monta Ellis
- Dorell Wright
- David Lee
- Andris Biedrins
Reserves: Vladimir Radmanovic, Reggie Williams, Louis Amundson, Acie Law, Ekpe Udoh, Dan Gadzuric, Brandan Wright.
First Quarter Recap
In an up and down, frantic-paced first quarter, the Kings took an early 12-4 lead by out-rebounding and out-hustling the Warriors. Led by newly appointed starting small forward Omri Casspi, the Kings looked fresh, composed and ready to compete on the road. The Kings pushed the lead to eight on multiple occasions, but the NBA’s third leading scorer, Monta Ellis, brought his A-game, running circles around the Kings’ defense. The Kings had balanced scoring from all five starters and a stellar seven rebounds from Jason Thompson to take a one point lead into the second.
Kings 28 Warriors 27
Leaders
Kings- Casspi (7) Points; Thompson (7) Rebounds; Cousins (2) Assists.
Warriors- Lee (9) Points; Biedrins (4) Rebounds; Ellis (2) Assists.
Second Quarter Recap
Both teams came out sloppy in the second, especially the Sacramento Kings. The Warriors used an 8-2 run to take a 35-30 lead a little over three minutes into the quarter. The Warriors opened up a nine point lead at one point, but big DeMarcus Cousins returned to the game and quickly made an impact by rebounding and scoring in the post against much smaller defenders. Carl Landry struggled horribly in the quarter, going 1-4 from the field and turning the ball over twice. When the Kings went back to the starters they quickly recovered, tying the game at 45 and then taking the lead shortly thereafter at 47-45. The game continued to go back and forth down the stretch, ending with a nice lay-up by Tyreke Evans to tie the game at the break.
Kings 51 Warriors 51
Leaders
Kings- Evans (14) Points; Thompson (9) Rebounds; Cousins (4) Assists.
Warriors- Lee (13) Points; Four tied (4) Rebounds; Three tied (2) Assists.
Team Kings Warriors
FG% 40.4% 52.3%
Rebounds 24 21
Assists/TO 11/7 8/7
Third Quarter Recap
Tyreke Evans stole the ball from David Lee for an easy break away bucket to start the third, setting the tone for a fast paced second half. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins continued to dominate the post and Jason Thompson stayed right with him. The tandem combined for 28 points, 17 rebounds and six assists through three quarters. Paul Westphal went to the bench and the Warriors instantly went on a 10-2 run to take a four point lead at 69-73. David Lee and Monta Ellis played extremely well on the offensive end, but it was back-to-back three’s by Steph Curry who scored 16 in the quarter that really put a charge in the crowd. The Kings tried to keep it close, but at the end of three the Kings trailed by eight after being out-scored 31-23 in the quarter.
Kings 74 Warriors 82
Leaders
Kings- Evans (20) Points; Thompson (11) Rebounds; Cousins/Udrih (4) Assists.
Warriors- Curry (22) Points; Lee (7) Rebounds; Ellis (7) Assists.
Fourth Quarter Recap
Omri Casspi came out hot to start the fourth as the Kings quickly cut the Warrior lead to three at the 8:45 mark. Seconds later, Beno Udrih took the ball to the hole, hit the shot and got fouled, tying the game at 84-84. The Kings used a 12-2 run to take a four point lead at 90-86 with 6:34 left in the game. Coach Westphal turned to his starters at the 5:34 mark to try and pull one out. With the shot clock winding down, DeMarcus Cousins split the defense and laid one in, giving him 20 points on the night and the Kings a seven point lead with 3:21 remaining.
The Kings switched to a zone for the stretch run and Steph Curry instantly hit a three, followed by a floater and-one to cut the Kings’ lead to three at 99-96. After an extremely poor decision under the basket by Tyreke Evans, the Warriors cut the lead to one with 1:50 left. The Warriors completed the come back, capping a 9-0 run with a David Lee free throw with just over a minute to go. Tyreke Evans answered with a jumper, ending the Warriors run and giving the Kings a two point lead. After a spectacular defensive play on one end, rookie DeMarcus Cousins stepped to the line and hit one of two to give the Kings a three point lead with 40.0 seconds on the clock.
After another Warriors’ miss, Jason Thompson hit one of two free throws, giving the Kings a 103-99 lead with 31.2 on the clock. With 23.7 seconds left, Monta Ellis buried a huge three pointer from the elbow to cut the Kings lead to one. Rookie speedster Pooh Jeter stepped to the line with 15.3 seconds left and bricked his first free throw, but calmly dropped in the second to extend the Kings lead back to two with 15.3 seconds left. The Kings missed three big free throws in the final minute to leave the door open for another heart breaking loss. With :009 left on the clock, Monta Ellis hit a fall-away jumper to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Kings 104 Warriors 104
Leaders
Kings- Evans (29) Points; Thompson (12) Rebounds; Udrih (7) Assists.
Warriors- Curry (30) Points; Lee/Wright (9) Rebounds; Ellis (9) Assists.
Overtime Recap
Monta Ellis broke the ice in the extra frame, hitting two free throws after Tyreke Evans picked up his fifth foul. The Warriors continued the run, scoring six unanswered to begin the overtime, while the Kings looked bewildered on both ends of the floor. The Kings fell into their old ways, standing around, waiting for Tyreke Evans to do something amazing. It didn’t work and the Warriors killed the Kings in overtime. Evans ended up with six of the Kings’ eight overtime points, but they came long after the game was already over.
Kings Lose.
Kings 112 Warriors 119
Leaders
Kings- Evans (35) Points; Thompson (12) Rebounds; Udrih (7) Assists.
Warriors- Curry (34) Points; Wright (12) Rebounds; Ellis (9) Assists.
Team Kings Warriors
FG% 44.7% 51.6%
Rebounds 45 44
Assists/TO 22/20 21/19
Player of the Game: Stephen Curry killed the Kings in the second half, going for 26 points between the second half and overtime. Overall, he scored 34 points on 12-21 field goals and 3-7 from behind the three point line. Curry also tossed in five steals, a modest three assists and three rebounds.
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