Draymond Green can take his time. Even without him, things are going well for Golden State, which has an 8th consecutive victory over the Kings (126-114) and remains in ambush behind the Suns.
Stephen Curry had launched his team perfectly, which was already at 13-2 after four minutes, but the Kings picked up again … before suffering the law of Klay Thompson. The “Splash Brother” remembered his best years with a second quarter of fire. The gap was already +26 for Golden State (62-36) but Alvin Gentry’s team had the merit of not giving up, and coming back under ten points (96-89) at the start of the fourth quarter.
But the Warriors have collective solutions and will then rely on the power of Jonathan Kuminga to redo the gap and avoid any fear in money-time.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Klay Thompson’s second quarter. Served by Stephen Curry, the wrist of the “Splash Brother” began to heat up and so the Warriors looked for him. Klay Thompson thus chained the baskets, recalling his finest hours and igniting the public at the Chase Center. The joy that overflowed from this moment was also beautiful to see, both among the players and the fans, and even the airballs became decisive passes…
– The Kings fight. Weakened without De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III, and largely behind, the Kings continued to struggle behind Davion Mitchell or Harrison Barnes and Damian Jones, two former Warriors. It was insufficient in the end but it pushed Golden State to be serious until the end of the evening.
– Jonathan Kuminga, the finisher. We were expecting the “Splash Brothers” when the Kings came back together at the start of the fourth quarter, but it was finally Jonathan Kuminga who made the difference, chaining the dunks to punish the Kings’ defense behind his back. 10 points at 5/5 in the fourth quarter for the rookie!
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Klay Thompson. The happiness of his teammates and his fans in the second quarter, where he caught fire, was a pleasure to see. He finished the game with 23 points at 7/9 shooting, plus 7 assists and 5 rebounds. As well as a +/- of +20 during his 24 minutes in the field.
✅ Davion Mitchell. The rookie can’t solve the Kings’ defensive problems on his own but his pressure on the ball is a good base. He also asserts himself offensively with 26 points and 8 assists, his best offensive game of his career. In the first half, it was he who carried the attack of Sacramento.
✅ Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors have often lacked players capable of imposing their power near the circle, and Jonathan Kuminga already brings a lot to the field. In the fourth quarter, he took advantage of the opposing defense’s attention for shooters to punish the Kings with dunks. But he also knows how to score near the circle despite the opposition. A very good omen for Steve Kerr…
WARRIORS CAN GO FOR TITLE ACCORDING TO PHIL JACKSON
The former Lakers and Bulls coach had a theory that the real “contenders” were the teams that reached 40 wins before 20 losses in the regular season. Golden State is the second team to achieve this this year, after Phoenix, and only Memphis can hope to join them in this very closed club.
THE FOLLOWING
Golden State (40-13): a little rest before heading to Oklahoma City on Monday evening
Sacramento (19-35): reception of the Thunder, starting tomorrow evening
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