Turnovers Doom Kings In Loss To Warriors
Oct 24, 2021, 8:50 PM | Updated: 8:50 pm
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Golden State scored 29 points off of Sacramento’s 19 turnovers on Sunday night
Poor play and execution in the fourth quarter continues to plague the Sacramento Kings.
After entering the final period trailing 90-88, the Golden State Warriors took advantage of Sacramento’s sloppy play late to win their first game at Golden 1 Center in over two years on Sunday night by a final of 119-107.
Sacramento (1-2) has been outscored 94-64 in the fourth quarter this season, something that must change going forward if this team is to compete for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs for the first time in 16 years.
Davion Mitchell made his presence known early as the rookie guard scored a career-high 10 points in the first quarter. Mitchell and the Kings went basket-for-basket with the Warriors over the first 12 minutes, with Sacramento coming out on top 31-29 heading into the second quarter.
Harrison Barnes continued his red-hot start to the season with 13 points in the first half, while Mitchell matched two-time MVP Steph Curry’s first-half point total with 17 points to lead Sacramento into the half with a 62-60 lead.
After struggling from the field in the first half, Curry knocked the rust off and scored 10 points in the third quarter to put Golden State out in front 90-88 heading into the fourth.
For the third game in-a-row, the Kings fell apart in the fourth quarter and a Golden State Warriors lineup that did not include Curry or Draymond Green built a 107-101 lead with less than five minutes remaining. Buddy Hield’s three to cut the deficit to 107-104 brought life back into Golden 1 Center, with Hield finally getting on the board after going scoreless through the first three quarters.
Sloppiness and turnovers would doom Sacramento on Sunday, as the Warriors capitalized by scoring 27 points off of 18 turnovers.
Like Portland on opening night and Utah on Friday, Golden State was able to take the Kings out of the game–both offensively and defensively–during the closing stretch of play.
De’Aaron Fox did not have a Fox-esque night against Golden State, as the talented guard scored 17 points on eight-of-16 shooting from the field while turning the ball over seven times. One game removed from a 24-point performance, Buddy Hield finished the night two-of-11 from the field and two-of-10 from three-point range.
Sacramento is going to struggle to win games if both Fox and Hield are not executing on the offensive end. Even with Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell and Richaun Holmes picking up the slack, the lack of defense late paired with Fox and Hield’s struggles would be too much to overcome against yet another experienced team.
Rounding Out The Box Score
With both Fox and Hield struggling to create offense, Barnes and Mitchell were the primary contributors in the loss on Sunday.
Barnes finished with a team-high 24 points on seven-of-13 shooting from the field to go along with seven rebounds over 36 minutes. The seasoned veteran has been playing like an All-Star to open up the season, having scored at least 24 points in each of the first three games.
Mitchell’s offensive performance was a wonderful surprise in the win, with the rookie scoring a career-high 22 points on nine-of-16 shooting from the field and three-of-eight from downtown to go along with four assists over 32 minutes.
Richaun Holmes picked up a double-double for the second-consecutive game, finishing with 16 points (seven-of-10 from the field), 11 rebounds and two blocks. Tyrese Haliburton flirted with his first-career-triple-double in the loss, scoring eight points, grabbing seven boards and dishing out nine assists.
Injury Updates
After missing Friday night’s contest against Utah, Kings forward Moe Harkless (right hip soreness) was ‘feeling better’ before Sunday night’s game according to head coach Luke Walton.
Harkless was considered a game-time decision before being active 30 minutes prior to tip-off. The 28-year-old returned to the starting lineup and finished with eight points and three rebounds over 23 minutes of action.
Coming Up
The Kings will begin a four-game road trip on Wednesday night when they face future Hall of Fame guard Chris Paul and the defending Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns.
Last season, the Suns took two out of three head-to-head matchups against the Kings, the most recent being a 121-114 win at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.
You can find all of your Kings vs Suns coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK beginning at 3:00pm PST on The Jason Ross Show prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off from Phoenix.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule
- October 27th @ Phoenix Suns
- October 29th @ New Orleans Pelicans
- October 31st @ Dallas Mavericks
- November 2nd @ Utah Jazz
- November 3rd vs New Orleans Pelicans
