In a meaningless preseason game without Steph Curry and Chris Paul, the Warriors and Kings nonetheless put on a good show at the Golden 1 Center on Sunday night.
The Warriors are now 3-0 in preseason play after coming back from a 15-point third-quarter hole to defeat the Kings 121-115 in overtime.
According to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, “Guys are doing a great job closing games to win two straight close ones with clutch play down the stretch.” A lot of fun to see!
Lester Quinones, a 22-year-old Summer League player who signed a two-way contract with the Kings in July, scored 18 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer in overtime, while Jonathan Kuminga scored a game-high 28 points, continuing his strong preseason play.
“We’re being put to the test right now,” Quinones remarked. When things like this happen, Kerr realizes he can put his faith in them. Alternatively, he may be thinking, Can I trust them in a crunch time situation? We’re just going to go out there and start fighting so that (Kerr) can trust us.
Moses Moody felt the excitement of the game at the Golden 1 Center, and he stated it was more like a regular season game than a preseason game.
After all, the Kings hadn’t played in front of their home fans since April, when the season was officially terminated by the Warriors.
The Warriors won a pivotal Game 5 here, but then lost at home in Game 6, sending the series back to Sacramento, where Curry scored 50 points in Game 7.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the Kings still have much to prove. They almost brought back their original lineup under Mike Brown, a former assistant coach for the Warriors and the current NBA Coach of the Year.
On Sunday, the ages of 27 and 25, Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, respectively, wowed on the court.
In 26 minutes of action, Fox, fresh off an All-Star season in which he was also voted the NBA Clutch Player of the Year, scored 17 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out six assists, looking like the game’s quickest player.
Sabonis had 19 points and 11 boards. In addition, he shot a perfect.500 from deep. The Warriors gave him plenty of room to shoot from beyond the arc, and he mentioned in an ESPN broadcast that he had been practicing his three-point shot. He’ll take it if he can get it.
The Kings were the superior team while Fox and Sabonis were both active. The Kings took a commanding 38-25 lead after the first period, but the game was lopsided without Curry and Paul.
In their absence, the Warriors displayed a new look by starting Brandon Podziemski at point guard. The newly drafted Santa Clara University product showed flashes of the talent that led to his selection at No. 19 overall in June. Several inexperienced blunders, as well.
In 32 minutes of action, he shot just 1/5 from the field and 0/1 from beyond the arc for a total of 4 points. He also pulled down six boards and dished out four assists.
When Paul and Curry weren’t available, Podziemski “handled things great,” as Kerr put it. “Brandin is exceptionally confident. His instincts for the game are superb. He has some serious muscle. In other words, he plays both ends. As a fresh rookie in this league, I’m really loving watching him play. He’s way ahead of the curve.
While Kuminga has been a consistent offensive catalyst for the Warriors thus far this preseason, he was at his most effective on Sunday from the charity stripe.
Kuminga took 17 shots from the line because he wasn’t scared to take contact when driving to the basket, and he made 13.
‘One of the main things that we’ve talked to JK about is, we’re not the most athletic team, we’re a very skillful team, but we don’t go to the line a ton,’ Kerr said. In the lower half of the league the previous year. If he can attack the basket and earn free throws, we’ll be stronger.