While most of the Bay Area will be occupied with the San Francisco Giants in World Series Game 7 matchup, the Sacramento Kings welcome the Warriors at the Sleep Train Arena. The regular season is finally here and it will be important for the Warriors to begin on the right foot. David Lee is listed to miss this game while the other big man Andrew Bogut is fighting a stomach illness. In case you missed the game, here is our instant recap:
1st Quarter
Draymond Green found himself starting the game with Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson. The season began with missed shots on both ends. Cousins went strong at an ill Bogut, but he was not budging playing great solid defense. The Warriors offense started really slow with two missed three pointers from Thompson and Barnes. Curry got the Warriors first point of the season on a defensive three seconds violation. Thompson pitched in and followed the possession with a 21-foot jumper. An aggressive Cousins continued to attack Bogut who picked up his second foul with 9 minutes to play in the first quarter. The Warriors looked distraught and made many turnovers and mistakes. Green with a beautiful pass to Bogut for an alley-oop dunk. They finally found their composure and got heated. Thompson’s transition three ball gave the Warriors a five point lead. Looking to provide a spark, Andre Iguodala came in for Harrison Barnes with a little more than five minutes to go. It must have been the jitters since both teams were sloppy to start. Speights and Barbosa chipped in with baskets to extend the lead to 23-16. At the end of one, the Warriors led 25-23 in a sloppy played quarter.
2nd Quarter
Two minutes in, Speights got the first basket for the Warriors on a pretty Holiday assist. The lead went back and forth throughout the quarter. With 7 and a half minutes remaining, the Warriors and Kings were tied up at 31. Curry nearly dropped in the bucket but drew a foul on a three-point shot. Following his three made free throws, Curry picked Cousins’ pocket and drove down for a quick layup. His fall with a camera man was a quick scare but Steph was ultimately fine and got hyped up. The Warriors continued to struggle to shoot the ball. Midway through the second, they were only 1-9 from three. The physicality never stopped for Cousins and all the Warriors big men. Ognjen Kuzmic made an appearance and attempted to stop Cousins. The struggles continued even from the free throw line. Surprisingly, the pesty Kings have slowed the Warriors offense. At the half, the Warriors found themselves down 49-47 with Curry and Thompson each leading the Warriors with 12 point a piece.
3rd Quarter
Andrew Boguts got an easy dunk to start the second half, unfortunately, he picked up his fourth foul and had to leave the ball game. The Warriors big men have had problems staying out of foul trouble and the Warriors looked sloppy to start the half. So far, the Warriors are 1 for 14 from the three point line, which is incredible when you have the Splash Brothers on the court. Luckily for the Warriors, Cousins picked up his fourth foul with a little over seven minutes left in the quarter. The Warriors went on a cold stretch, they could not find the basket. Iguodala breaks the dry spell by finding a cutting Barnes and he finished with an emphatic dunk. That got the Warriors going, they go on a 9-0 run and they build a 6 point lead. The Warriors were playing some scrappy defense and forced multiple turnover. Steph Curry really took over the quarter on both ends of the court, which helped the Warriors build a double digit lead. The Warriors surprised everyone when they put in Shaun Livingston. The Warriors had a 15 point lead, but got sloppy in the final minute. They take 73-63 lead into the fourth.
4th Quarter
The Warriors start the fourth with another Speights bucket. He had 14 off the bench at that point. The Warriors looked good to start the quarter, but they still struggled to hit the three ball. Barnes hit a bucket and drew the foul, which put him at 9 points for the night. Speights continued to look impressive and assertive on the defensive end. Draymond seemed to be the only Warrior who can hit beyond the arc. He has 12 points and 10 rebounds with a little over two minutes left in the game. Speights and Green were an expected surprise, which just comes to show how deep this team really is. The Warriors got on a roll and this game got quickly out of hand. The Warriors beat the Kings 95-77. Curry finishes with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.