by What we learned when Steph exited early after the Warriors’ win over the Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors remained undefeated in the preseason with a 109-106 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, but the win was pretty much the last at Chase Center after a scary moment for all-world point guard Stephen Curry, what anyone could think of.
The centerpiece of the Golden State team left the game late in the second quarter, walking from the court to the backcourt along with Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance.
The ten-time NBA All-Star did not play in the second half, which in itself was not unusual. Curry didn’t play in either of the Warriors’ first two preseason games.
Turns out Curry seems fine. Golden State told reporters that Curry had a jammed finger and was working out in the weight room.
He missed quite the ending.
The teams exchanged leads three times in the final two minutes, with Reece Beekman sinking two free throws with 16.7 seconds left to secure the win.
The evening got off to a happy start as Golden State held a pregame ceremony honoring Curry’s accomplishments at the Summer Olympics. Curry had already owned his gold medal since he left Paris, but to give the fans at Chase Center a chance to celebrate the moment, Draymond Green held the gold medal in his hand and then handed it back to the two-time MVP.
Moses Moody led the Warriors with a game-high 23 points. Jonathan Kuminga had 19 points and seven rebounds while Buddy Hield scored 10.
Here are the takeaways from Friday’s game:
Jump out of the perimeter again
Steve Kerr has given his players the green light to “Let it fly” this season, and the Warriors are doing just that. Two days after hitting 28 3-pointers, the Dubs once again let the ball fly out of the perimeter and walked 13 of 34 from beyond the arc.
Eight different players made at least one three-pointer, with Kuminga leading the way with three three-pointers. Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield each contributed two 3s.
Ironically, Curry was one of the few Warriors who didn’t have much success from deep. Before leaving the game, Curry was just 1 of 4 on 3-point attempts.
Moody makes the most of his start
Moody had a strong training camp and looked good off the bench in the Warriors’ first two preseason games, so coach Steve Kerr rewarded the 22-year-old shooting guard with a start against the Kings.
Moody took full advantage of the opportunity, shooting 7 of 13 (2 of 6 on 3s) and had three rebounds.
Moody could be a wild card of sorts for Golden State. With him around, the Warriors will be much more explosive and diverse as opponents will have to pay more attention to him, which in turn should allow his teammates to get cleaner shots.
Sales problems
In many ways, the Warriors were their own worst opponent against the Kings, largely due to a turnover problem that has plagued Golden State for quite some time.
The Warriors ran the ball up 13 times in the first half alone, resulting in 15 points for Sacramento. Fueled by turnovers, the Kings took twelve more shots than the Warriors in the first half.
In total, Sacramento scored 35 points on 24 Golden State turnovers.
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