A game after their first loss of the season, the Warriors responded with an impressive offensive display — at least for the first 24 minutes.
Golden State hung 50 points in the second quarter, and 89 in the half, to build a comfortable lead over Mike Brown and the Kings. So comfortable that it held strong through 12 consecutive missed shots late in the fourth quarter.
Stephen Curry (33 points) led Golden State with his third consecutive 30-point game to start the campaign, and Jordan Poole scored a season-high 24 points off the bench. Andrew Wiggins again starred in his role.
With a historic first half, the Warriors (2-1) clung to a 130-125 victory.
Here are three takeaways from Golden State’s convincing win over the Kings.
Coaching battle
Former Warriors lead assistant Mike Brown received his championship ring before coaching across Steve Kerr. Kerr, Leandro Barbosa — who followed Brown to Sacramento — and the current Warriors staff exchanged handshakes and took a group photo.
“It’s going to be special,” Brown said pregame before thanking Warriors ownership and other franchise pillars. “I learned so much here. They embraced me right away. All I have are fond memories here. It was fantastic. I owe them a lot. I thank them for allowing me to be a part (of it). I’m more than thrilled to be able to come back here and get a ring.”
Brown, in his 31st year as an NBA coach, worked with Kerr for the past six years. The Kings hired him this offseason to be their seventh different coach since 2012.
At the podium pregame, Kerr lauded Brown’s work with the Warriors, praising his energy and commitment to the game. Kerr called the defense-oriented Brown an excellent tactician.
Brown didn’t have his team ready, as the Kings fell behind 10-0 immediately. But Sacramento’s offense has clear Golden State influences and looked fluid.
Brown’s first big-picture decision? When to insert rookie Keegan Murray (16 points, 4 rebounds) into the starting lineup. The second: how to get any stops.
Halftime adjustments limited the Warriors in the second half, and Kerr called a timeout with 2:26 left in the game as GSW’s 26-point lead shrunk to six. Brown’s group is already fighting for him.
First-half eruption
Golden State dropped eighty-nine (89) points on Sacramento in the first half. Its franchise record for points in a half, set in 2018, is 92.
In that half, GSW set a franchise record with 50 points in the second quarter — their seventh 50-point quarter ever and first in the second frame.
The Warriors built their 89-71 lead by shooting 67.4% from the floor and 10-for-18 from 3. Curry racked up 28 points in 17 minutes on 13 shots. Andrew Wiggins dominated the glass and started 8-for-11. The second unit went 9-for-12 from the field in the half.
The Kings had no answers. Most of Golden State’s attempts came from behind the arc or in the paint.
At least one Bay Area offense clicked Sunday.
Poole, heating up
He forced Kings guard Davion Mitchell to pick up four fouls in five minutes. Mitchell is one of the most stout on-ball defenders in the NBA, but Poole appeared mostly unbothered.
Poole entered Sunday shooting 30% from the field and 2-for-11 from 3. He’s facilitated well, but will need to score more efficiently — particularly while running GSW’s second unit.
The recently extended guard started 4-for-6, including a pretty one-legged runner from the free throw line. He’s developing a nice on-court rapport with center James Wiseman, who sank his first four field goals.
Late in the fourth quarter, with the Kings pushing to cut into GSW’s 15-point lead, Poole canned a James Harden-esque stepback 3 from the wing. A couple trips later, he over-dribbled against Malik Monk and vomited up a tough fadeaway clank.
He has more autonomy over the offense than he did last year, and Poole is still figuring out how to best balance his on-ball shot creation with his dynamic playmaking. But his 24-point, four assist game is an overall encouraging sign that the learning curve won’t be too steep.