Pre-season game #3: Kings vs. Warriors.

Starting line-ups:

Kings:

• Tyreke Evans
• Francisco Garcia
• Antoine Wright
• Jason Thompson
• DeMarcus Cousins

Injuries: Carl Landry (eye), Beno Udrih (shoulder), Samuel Dalembert (adductor), Hassan Whiteside (patella tendon)

Warriors:

• Monta Ellis
• Stephen Curry
• Dorrell Wright
• David Lee
• Andres Biedrins

Injuries: Ekpe Udoh (wrist), Louis Amundson (lower back), Rodney Carney (hip contusion)

1st quarter recap:

The Kings got off to a fast start, scoring 9 points on 66.7% shooting over the first 3 minutes while forcing the Warriors into 2 early turnovers. Unfortunately, Evans picked up his third personal foul and with a limited roster, you already know this will have an effect on the game. With Evans out, veteran guard Luther Head will have to play extended minutes during the first half.

At the mid-way point of the quarter, the Kings are up 13 to 9 even though Cousins has stumbled out of the blocks. Even with the slow start from Cousins, the Kings out-rebounded the Warriors 9-6, mostly on the back of Jason Thompson and Francisco Garcia.

During the first, the Kings did a phenomenal job of limiting David Lee to zero points and 1 rebound. Monta Ellis shot 6 foul shots in the quarter and it took until the 8 minute mark for the W’s to take the lead.

Warriors 26 Kings 25

Field Goal %- Kings 38.5%  W’s 38.9%

Rebounds- Kings 15  W’s 13

Assist to turnover- Kings 7/5  W’s 4/4

Leaders:

Kings- Cousins 7 points, Garcia 5 rebounds, Garcia/Head/Jackson 2 assists

Warriors- Ellis 9 points, Curry 5 rebounds, Ellis 2 assists

2nd quarter recap:

The bench came on strong early. Head had 5, Jackson 2 and Jeter 2 in the first 2:30 of the second. Unfortunately for the Kings, the Warriors left their starters in for extended minutes and it paid off. Curry, Wright and Ellis all approached double figure scoring before getting their first rest. At the mid-way point of the second, the game was tied at 37.

Pooh Jeter struggled from the floor throughout the second, hitting only 1 of his 6 shots. The Kings have shown again in the second that without Tyreke Evans or Beno Udrih on the floor, it is going to be a bumpy ride. Both Omri Casspi and Donté Greene played most of the second. Casspi performed well, scoring 6 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out assists. Luther Head, a player rumored to be on the bubble, made a strong case for a roster spot by adding 8 points and 3 assists in 14 minutes of play.

Warriors 51  Kings 45

Field Goal %- Kings 37.5%  W’s 41.5%

Rebounds- Kings 24  W’s 26

Assist to turnover- Kings 14/10  W’s 7/6

Leaders:

Kings- Garcia 10 points, Thompson 6 rebounds, Garcia/Head 3 assists

Warriors- Ellis 11 points, Curry/Lee 5 rebounds, Ellis 4 assists

3rd quarter recap:

By the half way point of the third, Golden State’s lead expanded to 7 for a 62-55 lead. The active David Lee exploded out of the break and was at 11 points and 8 rebounds. Francisco Garcia tried to keep the Kings in the game, running his game high scoring lead to 14, but the triumvirate of Curry, Ellis and Lee were too much for the short-handed Kings.

By the end of the third, the Kings’ starting front line continued their trend of getting in foul trouble. Thompson had 4 personals and Cousins had 5. On a good note, Antoine Wright hit 2 three pointers in the 3rd. The 26-year-old small forward is fighting for the starting job along with Casspi, Greene and Marcus Landry. The third quarter belonged to David Lee and he finished the quarter as the game’s leading rebounder with 11 while the Kings shot themselves out of the game.

Warriors 75  Kings 59

Field Goal %- Kings 33.8%  W’s 41.5%

Rebounds- Kings 32  W’s 42

Assist to turnover- Kings 17/14  W’s 13/8

Leaders:

Kings- Garcia 14 points, Garcia 9 rebounds, Garcia 4 assists

Warriors- Curry 15 points, Lee 11 rebounds, Ellis 6 assists

4th quarter recap:

Cousins hit his first career three pointer to start the 4th on an assist from Casspi. Before fouling out at the 4:45 mark, Cousins dominated the fourth, scoring 10 points and adding 5 rebounds. The W’s countered with Jeff Adrien who had 7 points and 7 rebounds in the quarter and finished the game with 11 points and 15 rebounds. The Kings made it close down the stretch against the W’s second team, even inserting Tyreke Evans back in at the 5:36 mark for a final push.

Warriors 95  Kings 86

Field Goal %- Kings 34.1%  W’s 41.2%

Rebounds- Kings 50  W’s 54

Assist to turnover- Kings 21/15  W’s 17/11

Leaders:

Kings- Cousins 17 points, Thompson 12 rebounds, Garcia/Head/Casspi 4 assists

Warriors- Ellis 18 points, Adrien 15 rebounds, Ellis 6 assists