Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Three takeaway from the Warriors’ 100-79 loss to the Kings at Chase Center on Sunday:
It’s hard to win with offense this poor and defense this terrible
That’s pretty universal. You have to squint to find the bright side of a shellacking at the hands of a young team that improved to 12-15. The Warriors forced 27 turnovers, although that had a lot to do with a stagnant Sacramento attack, too. Thus ends the positives.
The Kings shot 60 percent from the field, able to get whatever shot they wanted. It was never a game in the second half, and these Kings do not blow too many teams out.
The Warriors had cut down a 36-20 second-quarter gap, using a 12-0 run to trim the deficit to four with 7:33 left in the quarter. But the Kings, behind Buddy Hield’s nearly time-expiring 3 at the half, jumped back up 51-42, and another anemic third quarter ended the Warriors’ chances.
The Kings finished 38-of-63 from the field and 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) from 3, four players in double-figures led by Bogdan Bogdanovic’s 25 and Hield’s 19. The Warriors entered with the 26th-best defensive rating in the NBA, which will not go up. But 100 points allowed is easy enough on the stomach, whereas 79 points scored isn’t.
Without Eric Paschall (hip) and all the other Walking Wounded Warriors, there was nowhere to turn. D’Angelo Russell was invisible, finishing with eight points on nine shots. Alec Burks was effective, scoring 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting, but for too long he was somehow the high scorer. (Willie Cauley-Stein awoke in garbage time and finished with 14 points.)
They’re simply out of weapons, and their star (Draymond Green) isn’t built to play shorthanded. Their role players (Glenn Robinson III, Cauley-Stein) aren’t built to play as the leads. This is how you wind up in the lottery.
Jordan Poole does not look like an NBA player.
The Warriors (5-23) are a team that needs some of everything — better defensive answers, better big-man play, improved guard shooting. Poole, at this point, offers nothing.
The shooter who can’t shoot got some run in the first quarter, putting up three jumpers — 2 3s — and missed all. He was a minus-9 in 4:52 of first-quarter play. He finished 1-of-7 for 11 points and an unsightly minus-16.
Steve Kerr said last week that Poole will move to the G League at some point, perhaps when Jacob Evans is better in shape and would take all of his minutes. It’s unclear what Poole, who had two DNPs in his past three games entering action, is gaining in his limited, ineffective run at this point.
The rookie from Michigan was shooting just 26 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3 entering action.
What a brutal day for The Bay
Madison Bumgarner is a Diamondback.
The 49ers lost a soul-crusher.
The Raiders fell in the last minute in their final game in Oakland.
We’ll let you know when the A’s move to Las Vegas in an hour or so.