The Golden State Warriors returned to Golden 1 Center for the first time since Stephen Curry dropped 50 points in Game 7 of the first-round playoff classic between the Warriors and Kings last season, and lit his own imaginary beam.
On a Sunday night in mid-October for the third preseason game, the stakes weren’t nearly as high, but with the new Warriors-Kings rivalry (confirmed by Draymond Green) it’s only fitting this game went to overtime.
The Warriors were able to stay undefeated in the preseason, without the resting Steph Curry and Chris Paul, with a 121-115 win over the Kings.
Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins combined for 64 points, with Kuminga being the headliner.
The Warriors outscored the Kings 10-4 in overtime, jumpstarted by a quick three to open OT from undrafted guard Lester Quinones, who stood out with 18 points after only having two points combined in two games versus the Lakers.
Although this was a preseason basketball game, this is about as good as it gets until the regular season tips off.
Here are three takeaways:
Klay Thompson looks… really freaking good
Whenever Klay Thompson is in his “making heavily-contested perimeter shots like he’s shooting with a ball rack at an open gym” phase, he’s practically unstoppable.
So far this preseason, his classic mid-range jumper running toward the baseline and his catch-and-shoot threes have looked fantastic.
Tonight, Thompson put up 12 points in 16 minutes and was 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, doing a nice job of making up for Steph’s absence.
Klay is 6-for-14 from three thus far in three preseason games, but the shooting might not even be the most exciting thing Warriors fans should look forward to.
The talk around camp says Klay is possibly in the best shape of his career, and he is ready to expand other parts of his game.
“What we’re really pounding home with Klay is rebounding,” Steve Kerr said in his first pregame press conference on Oct. 7. “If he can get more engaged on the glass… getting engaged in the fight. Boxing out, hitting bodies. Because we know as a team we need to be better in the margins this year.”
Small picture, it’s preseason and it’s a small sample size. But big picture, his shot looks great, his health is great and if he can start crashing the boards and regain some of his defensive dominance from the past, Klay and Co. could have another memorable season.
Jonathan Kuminga could be Warriors’ X factor
At 21-years-old, Kuminga looks like the leader of the youthful era the Warriors will enter sooner rather than later, while also being a perfect complimentary piece to the Golden Four of Steph, Klay, Draymond, and CP3.
The Warriors are chasing another NBA championship before time runs out, but that only seems realistic if Kuminga takes his game to the next level.
So far in camp and the preseason, a big Kuminga season may be loading…
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence. I think the big thing is he’s really embracing everything,” Kerr said in his pregame press conference on Sunday.
“The coaching, the challenge, the awareness of having to really focus on a lot of different things. The things that make a difference in terms of winning a game, losing a game, all those things he’s much more aware of now in his third year. He’s had a good camp and he just has to keep growing.”
Coming into today’s game against Sacramento, Kuminga had one point for every minute played, scoring 50 points in 50 minutes in two games against the Lakers, and was shooting a ridiculously efficient 65% from the field and over 50% from 3.
Statistically, Sunday was his worst preseason game so far, shooting 39% from the field. But that didn’t really matter because he had 28 points and played 34 minutes, showing the Warriors and Dub Nation a sneak peek of how high the ceiling could be for Kuminga.
Andrew Wiggins embodies what the Warriors need. Consistency
Last season, Wiggins couldn’t really catch a break.
Missing three games with left foot soreness, 10 with a strained adductor, seven with a non-COVID illness and the final 25 games of the regular season due to a family matter, Wiggins couldn’t get back onto the court until the playoffs.
Wiggins held his own in the playoffs, but a lack of game reps and on-court chemistry eventually caught up to the Warriors once they faced the Lakers in the second round.
Against the Kings tonight, Wiggins showed everyone what he can do when he is at his best, dropping 20 points in 22 minutes on 3-for-5 shooting from 3, while also bringing his physical and veteran presence the Warriors thrive off of.
Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney only played 27 games together last season, and it feels like that number needs to go up if the Warriors want to build the comradery and chemistry that they couldn’t quite establish a season ago.