Steph-less Warriors Run Out of Steam Against Sacramento Kings
The Warriors held the lead for nearly the entire first half despite missing Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. Stephen Curry joined the pregame huddle via FaceTime, while Draymond Green, wearing a navy blue sweatsuit and glasses, acted as an assistant coach. Jimmy Butler was absent from the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.
Without their three key players—two of whom did not make the short trip across I-80—Golden State’s energy faded against a Sacramento Kings team also missing key contributors. The Warriors started strong, building a double-digit lead before halftime but ultimately fell 121-116.
“It was an amazing effort by our guys, and it should be a learning experience for our group,” coach Steve Kerr said after his B-squad lost to a Sacramento team missing Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.
Key Performances
- Rookie Will Richard led Golden State with 30 points in his first career start.
- Moses Moody scored a career-high 28 points.
- Jonathan Kuminga contributed 24 points and led the team with 9 rebounds.
- Despite these efforts, the Warriors could not overcome Russell Westbrook’s triple-double of 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, supported by five other Kings players scoring in double figures.
Richard and Kuminga combined to score all but two of the Warriors’ first 23 points, helping the team secure a 32-25 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Author’s summary: Despite notable contributions from young players, the Warriors’ depleted roster ultimately ran out of energy and couldn’t hold their early lead in a close loss to the Kings.