In the final game of a jam-packed NBA Friday, the Golden State Warriors picked up a crucial win at Golden 1 Center against the Sacramento Kings. With a final score of 132-106, it was the Warriors' 14th victory on the road this season and their first returning from this year's All-Star break.
The Kings are still looking for their identity after the De'Aaron Fox trade and it showed tonight with their play on the floor. They managed to keep up with the Warriors in the first quarter but the game blew wide open in the second frame when the Kings were outscored 37-25. The Warriors carried that momentum for the rest of the game and cruised to the blowout victory.
Starting with Stephen Curry, he finished with 20 points, one rebound, and six assists tonight on 7-13 shooting. In 32 minutes of play, Jimmy Butler dropped 17 points, three rebounds, and seven assists on 5-10 shooting. Off the bench, Buddy Hield contributed 22 points, three rebounds, and two assists on 5-8 shooting from three.
For the Kings, DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 34 points (71.4% shooting), four rebounds, and six assists. Zach LaVine dropped 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists while Domantas Sabonis added 14 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists in 32 minutes.
The Warriors and Kings came into this game with identical records but they are not on even ground this season. After the Jimmy Butler trade, the Warriors are playing with new life and the results have been extremely impressive so far.
38 Points Off Turnovers
The Kings shot a respectable 50% from the field in this game but their offense never quite found a rhythm. While the Warriors only gave the ball up 12 times through the entire match, the Kings committed 24 turnovers and absolutely killed their offense.
The Warriors' swarming defense kept the pressure on all night long and allowed them to score 38 total points off Sacramento's turnovers. It was all they needed to secure an easy victory and make up some ground in the West standings.
Without a true point guard on the floor, the Kings struggled to run a cohesive offense and the Warriors were able to exploit it to their advantage. By the end of the game, Golden State got 14 extra shot attempts off of turnovers and offensive rebounds which allowed them to make up for a relatively quiet night from Stephen Curry (20 points in 31 minutes).
Lights Out Shooting From Three
The Warriors are 4th in three-pointers made this season with an average of 15.3 but they rank 15th in three-point percentage at 35.9%. If they can just hit more consistently from beyond the arc, they will be a much-improved team and we saw tonight how good the Warriors are when the shots are falling from deep.
As a team, Golden State went 20-43 (46.5%) from the perimeter, compared to the Kings who were held to just 11-32 shooting from three. Moses Moody went 5-8 from three for 22 points while Buddy Hield made another five threes off the bench in 26 minutes.
Between Curry, Moody, Hield, Quinten Post, and Brandin Podziemski, the Warriors had more than enough shooting to power the offense and it's how they dropped 132 points in such effortless fashion.
Elite Ball Movement
Perhaps the greatest impact of Jimmy Butler so far is offensively, where his ball-handling and playmaking have been opening up the floor for everyone. In 32 minutes tonight, Butler was like a maestro with the ball, feeding his teammates with creative and well-timed passes.
Jimmy's efforts were seemingly contagious as the rest of the team picked up on his pass-first mentality. By the final buzzer, the Dubs finished with 40 assists, nearly doubling the Kings' assist total (26). All five starters were sharing the ball led by Draymond Green who had nine assists followed by Butler (seven), Curry (six), Podziemski (five), and Moody (four).
The good shooting and movement on offense were a product of the Warriors playing true team basketball and looking for the best shot instead of settling for whatever the defense gives them. With Jimmy Butler, they finally have that missing link to help them fit better together and generate easier looks at the hoop.
This late in the game, pretty much every game is a must-win for the Warriors. At 10th in the West (29-27) they can't afford to lose any ground or they could risk falling out of the play-in. Fortunately, they got some help at just the right time, and coming out of the break, there is real optimism that Golden State can make some noise this season and shock the basketball world once again.
