Thompson Leads Warriors Past Kings
OAKLAND (CBS / AP) -- Klay Thompson made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 7.5 seconds remaining and finished with 20 points to lead the Golden State Warriors past the Sacramento Kings, 87-83 on Wednesday night.
Thompson then forced Tyreke Evans into an errant layup on the final possession to seal a sloppy win for the Warriors over the Western Conference's worst team. After dropping the first two in Sacramento this season, Golden State overcame 18 turnovers and 36 percent shooting against its Northern California rival.
David Lee had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and rookie Harrison Barnes added 14 points for the Warriors, who are 2-0 since a four-game losing streak. They held the Kings to 40 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers.
Jason Thompson had 17 points and eight rebounds, and Patrick Patterson added 15 points for Sacramento, which has lost 11 of its last 13 games. DeMarcus Cousins had five points and four rebounds and sat out the entire fourth quarter.
The long-range shot bailed out the Warriors again.
Stephen Curry came off a pick-and-roll and made a 3-pointer to give Golden State an 82-78 lead with a little more than 2 minutes remaining. The Warriors stopped Sacramento, but then had a shot-clock violation just before Jarrett Jack's layup.
Jason Thompson hit a jumper and Patterson followed with a 3-pointer in front of the Warriors bench to put the Kings ahead 83-82. Patterson mouthed a few words and flicked three fingers back at Golden State's bench as he skipped down court.
The Warriors then blew two chances to tie or take the lead. Jack missed a 3-pointer on the first one, and Klay Thompson missed an open jumper after another stop and timeout.
The third time proved to be the charm.
Toney Douglas missed a difficult shot in the face of a defender, Andrew Bogut corralled the rebound and the Warriors called timeout. Lee found Thompson standing in the corner, and the second-year guard's swish gave Golden State an 85-83 lead, holding his hand in the air as the sold-out crowd announced at 19,956 roared to its feet.
Evans missed a difficult layup in Thompson's face, Draymond Green grabbed the rebound and made both free throws to seal the victory. While it was sloppy at best, the Warriors will take every win they can get as they look to remain a playoff contender.
The matchup of bruising big men turned into an afterthought.
Bogut, starting for the second straight game after sitting out the previous six with back spasms, only played in spurts and deferred to his teammates on offense. He finished with two points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes.
Cousins picked up two fouls in the first 10 minutes, sat the rest of the half and often looked disinterested. During one timeout in the second quarter, he watched the in-house band instead of joining the Kings huddle. Cousins, who had eight points on 1-for-12 shooting in a home loss against Denver a night earlier, finished 2 for 10 from the floor.
With more room to move on the floor, Jack and Klay Thompson each made two 3-pointers and Curry added another to highlight a 20-6 run in the first quarter that gave Golden State a 26-16 lead. The Warriors started 5 of 9 from beyond the arc.
Sacramento answered with a 15-5 spurt capped by Douglas' layup and 3-pointer midway through the second quarter. The Kings led 44-41 at the break.
Each team committed nine turnovers in the first half. Both sides struggled to create separation the rest of the way, and neither team looked sharp.
The plodding pace started to dissolve when backup center Festus Ezeli delighted Golden State's crowd late in the third quarter. Ezeli blocked Cousins' jump hook and beat the Sacramento big man for position on the other end, flipping in a layup while Cousins held his left arm to start a three-point play that gave the Warriors a 65-56 lead.
Cousins walked away and showed almost no emotion. He took a seat on the Kings bench, put on his warm-up shirt and watched Sacramento lose yet again.
NOTES: The Warriors are 185-184 all-time against the Kings. The teams play one more time this season on March 27 in Oakland. ... Curry's streak of at least 25 points in five straight games ended. ... Lee had his season-high eighth straight double-double. ... The Warriors have sold out 18 straight games.
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