Steph-less Warriors Run Out of Steam in Loss to Sacramento Kings
The Warriors led for nearly the entire first half despite missing key players Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. Stephen Curry joined the pregame huddle via FaceTime, while Draymond Green acted as an assistant coach wearing a navy blue sweatsuit. Jimmy Butler was absent from the game at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.
Without their three biggest stars, two of whom didn’t make the short trip up I-80, the Warriors eventually faltered against a Sacramento Kings team also missing key contributors. Golden State built a double-digit lead before halftime but ultimately lost 121-116.
“It was an amazing effort by our guys, and it should be a learning experience for our group,” said coach Steve Kerr after the defeat to Sacramento, which played without Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.
Rookie Will Richard, making his first career start and a second-round draft pick, led Golden State with 30 points. Moses Moody scored a career-high 28 points, and Jonathan Kuminga added 24 points along with a team-best nine rebounds. Despite their efforts, the trio could not overcome Russell Westbrook’s dominant triple-double of 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, as well as five other Kings players scoring in double digits.
Richard and Kuminga combined to score all but two of the Warriors' first 23 points, helping Golden State take a 32-25 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Author’s summary: The Warriors showed resilience without their stars but fell short against a strong Kings squad, highlighting promising performances from young players despite the loss.