SACRAMENTO KINGS

Kings turn up the pressure in Q3, defeating Warriors 123-117

Jan 22, 2025, 9:42 PM | Updated: 10:13 pm

The Sacramento Kings hosted the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night in the team’s second matchup this season, with both sides playing on the first night of a back-to-back.

DeMar DeRozan (32/5/2/2/2) and Domantas Sabonis (26/18/3) put their best feet forward, making up for De’Aaron Fox’s slow night (14/5/5). They overcame Golden State’s ridiculous three-point efficiency thanks to their increased defensive aggressiveness in the second half, turning defense into an offense like they’ve done so well under Doug Christie.

A 37-20 third-quarter advantage allowed them to come back from an 18-point deficit and end the night with a 123-117 victory as the Sacramento sky lit purple.

Sacramento had won nine of their last 10 games, while the Warriors are coming off a 40-point home loss to the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Doug Christie was working with a fully healthy roster, which has been a rare occasion this season. Meanwhile, their opposition was without four key pieces.

Kings vs. Warriors Injury Report

Sacramento

  • Isaac Jones (G-League)
  • Colby Jones (G-League)
  • Isaiah Crawford (G-League)

Golden State

  • Draymond Green (left calf)
  • Brandin Podziemski (right abdominal)
  • Jonathan Kuminga (right ankle)
  • Kyle Anderson (left gluteal)

Kings vs. Warriors Game Notes

It was a clunky, back-and-forth first quarter, with the Kings getting it done inside the arc (6/11) while Golden State rained in triples (6/13).

All of Sacramento’s points came from their starters, but that changed in the second frame as Trey Lyles knocked down a triple, and Devin Carter eventually did the same. Unfortunately, that was the end of the bench’s first-half production.

Golden State continued to rain down triples, with Hield reminding the Golden 1 crowd of his franchise record for made threes. Curry had just 12 points but used his gravity to the effect of seven assists and a 65-48 halftime advantage for his Bay Area squad.

Based on their play, it seemed like Christie’s halftime message centered around increasing their defensive physicality. One of the Kings’ staples is to play physically without fouling, and they struggled to do so Wednesday night.

Finally, they managed to force turnovers and turn that into their own offense. A 17-point advantage (37-20) in the third quarter leveled the scoreboard at 85 with 12 minutes remaining.

The Warriors weren’t just going to go away, though. They made their first four triples of the fourth, but it remained a tight one.

A Difference of 3s

Sacramento has been an up-and-down three-point shooting team for most of this season, and it was a cold night early. They went just 2/9 from three in the first quarter, compared to their opposition’s 6/13.

Moses Moody (2/3) and Andrew Wiggins (2/3) were the main contributors, while Curry and Hield each added one of their own. And the difference in distance shooting continued to grow from there.

Fourty-two of Golden State’s 65 first-half points came from three. Hield, Santos, and Wiggins each had three triples, while the Kings were 7/18 as a team. A notable difference in not only makes, but total attempts.

“I thought we were a little step slow in the first half on rotations,” interim head head coach Christie said postgame.

Cutting the deficit to single digits with roughly two minutes left in the third, the energy returned in G1C. DeRozan was attacking mismatches while Sabonis attacked the rim.

Heading into the fourth tied at 85, it was anyone’s game. As they say, basketball is a game of runs and Wednesday night was a prime example.

The Warriors knocked down their first four triples of the frame, but DeRozan and Sabonis kept hitting timely buckets while they aimed to force turnovers and score in transition.

Fox, who had just six points coming into the fourth, added eight more as his teammates continued to roll into an eventual 123-117 win for the Kings. It’s their 10th beam in their last 11 games.

Here are three takeaways from the comeback win:

Third Quarter Turnaround

A crucial part of the Kings’ recent success has been their defensive physicality and ability to turn teams over and then turn that into their own offense. Yet, Golden State was able to get into the paint with ease in the first half, spraying out to shooters who knocked most of them down.

Sacramento had just six points off the Warriors’ seven turnovers at the midway point.

In the second half, they seemed to emphasize upping that aggression, which worked. The Warriors had eight turnovers in the third quarter alone, leading to 13 Sacramento points off those mishaps.

That increased energy and hustle for 50/50 balls also factored into the Warriors shooting just 1/10 from three in the third after their red-hot start. It also helps when DeRozan scores 19 points in the quarter on his lonesome.

“Usually, I kinda wait for the fourth quarter for those moments, but we needed it in the third,” DeRozan said postgame.

The energy shifted in Sacramento’s favor from there, and they maintained it through a turbulent fourth.

Deebo and Domas make up for a quiet Fox

Without Green, Kuminga, and Anderson, the already defensively-limited Warriors had to deal with matchup problems. They started the game with Hield guarding DeRozan, for example.

Santos and Wiggins were probably their best options for slowing down the six-time All-Star, but he’s able to get buckets over anyone. Give him even a slightly favorable matchup, and it’s two points. He ended the night with 32 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals on 12/21 FG and 3/6 3P.

Nineteen of his 32 came in the third quarter.

“I just try to go out there and be aggressive. Get us going. Try and give us an opportunity,” DeRozan said. “I took it upon (myself) just to be aggressive, and with that came buckets.”

Fox, meanwhile, didn’t seem like his usual self. The speedy guard struggled to find a rhythm, having just six points as he checked back into a two-point game with 5:19 remaining.

He had not been held to single digits since Jan. 2024, and that didn’t end up being the case on Wednesday. He and the Kings turned up the pace late, with their lead guard finding his way to the free-throw line after aggressive drives — Fox ended the game with 14 points, five assists, and five rebounds on just 2/11 from the field.

Domantas Sabonis had his usual stat-stuffing night, recording 26 points, 18 rebounds, and three assists on 8/12 from the field and 2/4 from distance.

When’s the next Sacramento Kings game?

The same night Sacramento defeated Golden State, they hopped on a plane for Denver, Colorado, to take on the Nuggets the following night. It’s the beginning of a seven-game road trip for the Kings, including a trip to the Northeast coast.

DeRozan said going into Denver is the hardest back-to-back in the NBA. “I feel like it’s a setup in some typa way,” he joked after Wednesday’s win.

Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets have won 11 of their last 14 games, sitting at 4th in the Western Conference with the three-time MVP averaging 30.1 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 9.9 assists on 56.3/47.5/81.0 shooting splits.

It’ll be a tough challenge for the Kings, who may need to use their newly healthy roster to weather the complications that come on the second night of a back-to-back, especially in Denver.

Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings

  • Thursday, January 23rd – @ Denver Nuggets – 6:00 PM PT
  • Saturday, January 25th – @ New York Knicks – 4:30 PM PT
  • Monday, January 27th – @ Brooklyn Nets – 4:30 PM PT
  • Wednesday, January 29th – @ Philadelphia 76ers –4:30 PM PT
  • Saturday, February 1st – @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5:00 PM PT

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