NBA: Golden State shines on with a blowout over the Kings
San Francisco, California - The Golden State Warriors dominated the Sacramento Kings at home on Monday to get back into the win column.
The Warriors dominated the Kings 113-98 in their return home after a decent five-game road trip to make it four wins out of five.
While the team was still a little shorthanded, most of Golden State’s best players were back after skipping Saturday night’s loss to the Raptors and were definitely good to go in this matchup.
The Warriors defense shined early, holding the Kings to just 16 first-quarter points while the team built a 10-point lead heading into the second quarter.
Sacramento managed to put up a better effort before halftime, but it still trailed 58-46 at the intermission.
The Kings had their highest scoring quarter in the third, putting up 33 and even taking a small two-point lead in the closing minutes, but they were behind again by the fourth.
That's when Golden State ran away with the game, as the defense picked up the slack again and held the Kings to under 20 points, putting a comeback out of Sacramento’s reach once and for all.
The player spotlight
Back at home, Golden State’s sharpshooter Steph Curry (33) was in his usual high-scoring mood against the Kings, and when that happens, it tends to produce a win.
He did most of his damage to Sacramento during the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points to pad their late-game lead while the defensive effort kept the Kings down.
Curry finished the night shooting 13-for-27 overall, including four of 12 from three-point range, for a team-high 30 total points, four assists, and three rebounds.
The big picture
While the Warriors' current overall record – 25-6 – isn't the NBA’s best, they are top in the league when it comes to home games, with a mark of 15-2.
As long as they don’t take serious hits to their roster and Curry can keep his hot hand, Golden State will cruise back to the summit even before Klay Thompson finally makes his long-awaited return in mid-January. That's should be a scary prospect for rival teams.
On Thursday, the Warriors will stay at home to go up against the Grizzlies while on Wednesday, the Kings will be back at home to face the Clippers.
Cover photo: IMAGO/ZUMA Wire