Warriors nearly waste explosive second quarter in 130-125 win over Kings

The Golden State Warriors welcomed the Sacramento Kings and former Dubs assistant coach Mike Brown back to the Chase Center. Brown, who became the Kings head coach earlier this year, was presented with his championship ring for his contribution to the Dubs championship run last season before the game. That was as good as it got for Brown on Sunday night as the Warriors defeated Sacramento 130-125.

Andrew Wiggins was hot early, scoring seven of the Warriors first 10 points en route to an early 10-0 lead. However, the Kings quickly capitalized on a turnover and a stretch of empty possessions to pull within a bucket. Two things were apparent early: both teams were ready to play on offense, while the defensive effort seemed to look a lot like the preseason.

The Warriors led 39-36 at the end of the first quarter, but Wiggins was the lone player on either team in double-figures. That didn’t last long.

Jordan Poole and James Wiseman were an efficient duo leading the Dubs second unit, alternating baskets for a four minute stretch spanning the first and second quarter. When Curry returned to the floor with eight minutes left in the first half, Golden State exploded.

Curry went Super Saiyan for the first time this season, scorching the Kings for 21 points in the second quarter on 6-for-8 shooting from the field (5-for-6 from three). We are not far away from early-season MVP debates this season, and Curry is once again looking like a top contender. He finished Sunday’s win with 33 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists on 11-for-22 shooting (7-for-12 from three) in 31 minutes.

With Curry on fire, the Warriors' offense became an unstoppable force that Sacramento had no chance of keeping up with. The Dubs dropped 50 points in the second quarter, and led 89-71 at the half.

After both coaching staffs probably emphasized defensive adjustments at halftime, the offensive output slowed down in the second half. The Warriors tried trusting the youngsters to close things out in the fourth quarter, but the Kings eventually trimmed the lead to 12 points with 5:13 left in regulation. So, Curry, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney returned to the floor.

Even with their starters on the floor, the Warriors struggled to score over the next few minutes, and the Kings eventually cut their deficit to 126-122. The Dubs missed 14 straight shots (12 field goals and 2 free throws) before Poole ended their scoring drought with a key pair of free throws. Poole finished with 24 points off the bench.

The duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis led the way for Sacramento offensively. Fox recorded 26 points, 10 assists, and 5 rebounds while Sabonis racked up 19 points, 14 boards, and 4 assists. However, they needed another big performance to put them over the top against Golden State on Sunday.

Klay Thompson quietly had his least productive game of the season, scoring just 8 points in 27 minutes, but came up with a pair of huge stops against Fox in the final two minutes. Wiggins finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks on 9-for-18 shooting from the field. Wiseman continued to struggle defensively but scored 14 points on six field-goal attempts with 6 boards.

After improving to 2-1 on the season, the Warriors will head on the road tomorrow for their first away game of the season on Tuesday against the Suns. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM Pacific Time.

What have you thought of the Warriors early-season performances? What stood out from the Dubs win tonight? Hop in the chat over on Twitch to let us know on our live postgame show: