Election Fever at Chase Center, USA: Golden State Warriors edge Sacramento Kings, 116-113
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT PhilBoxing.com Tue, 08 Nov 2022
The votes are in, and the people have spoken---a win for the Warriors tonight might very well be what turns their season around. Steph Curry heard the call and responded the only way he knew how. With the game and perhaps the season on the line, Curry composed a 47-point masterpiece thereby helping the Warriors win against the visiting Sacramento Kings in a close 116-113 game.
The score in tonight’s game seemed to be a precursor for tomorrow’s election here in the United States. With both teams sharing an equal sense of urgency, the visiting Kings answered every other Warriors run commensurately.
Golden State started quickly outscoring Sacramento 9 to 1, barely 2 ½ minutes into the game, but got behind the Kings, 31-29 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Kings caught fire and added 36 points against the Warriors’ 26, and at the half, the Kings were up 67-55 and looked good as they headed to the locker room.
The third quarter was close, but the Kings appeared to lose a little steam as the Warriors outpointed them by two points, 21-24. After three quarters, the Kings were up by nine points, 88-79.
With the game up for grabs in the fourth quarter, Steph Curry found the will and the way out of a road trip from heck and a 5-game losing streak.
At the 08:36 mark, Curry drove to the left side of the basket, rolled his left ankle, was fouled, but still managed to roll in a deuce (and one) to creep into the Kings’ lead and made it 95-87. A sigh of relief can be heard (and seen) from the faces of the home crowd as Curry gingerly walked towards the bench.
Helping with the newfound momentum was Klay Thompson who managed a 3-pointer at the 08:11 mark and made it a tighter 95-90. Shortly thereafter, Andrew Wiggins made a 10-footer from a Thompson assist to make it 100-94, and the Warriors were on a roll.
What happened next indicates why a red-hot Stephen Curry is important if the Warriors are to retain their NBA title.
Klay Thompson has had an uncharacteristically cold start but keeping him healthy is important as the season progresses.
A sound rotation, according to Coach Steve Kerr, will minimize injuries and overloading.
Veterans Green, Wiggins, Thompson, and Looney have seamlessly incorporated the young guns Poole with the young guns Kuminga, Moody and Wiseman into the championship fold.
At the 01:53 mark, Curry’s deuce tied the game at 107 making his running total at 40 points.
And thirty seconds later, Draymond Green created a screen allowing Steph Curry to bury a deep trey from the middle to take the lead 110-107.
The Warriors never looked back despite a late surge from De’Aaron Fox to make it 114-113.
A personal foul by Chimezie Metu meant 2 free-throws for Curry who made 2-2 and iced the game, 116-113 for the Warriors.
Just before the buzzer sounded to end the game, the Kings had a chance to extend the game, but Huerter missed a long 3-pointer to tie.
Golden State’s Steph Curry led the Warriors with a season-high 47 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Andrew Wiggins followed with 25 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Klay Thompson, who contributed at key moments, had 16 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Kevon Looney only had 2 points, a season-high 13 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The entire bench comprised of Kuminga, Lamb, Jerome, Poole, and Moody had a paltry total of 15 points.
As a team, the Warriors shot 50% FG and 36.8% 3-PT.
The opposing squad, the Kings shot 40.7% FG and 35% 3-pt.
De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 28 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Sabonis had 16 points followed by Murray for 6, Huerter for 11 points.
Malik Monk came off the bench and poured 24 points and the rest of the Kings bench of Lyles, Metu, Mitchell, and Davis combined for 25 points.
Upcoming:
Golden State (4-7): The Warriors look to win 2 in a row against the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers (8-1) on Friday, November 11th
Sacramento (3-6): The Kings face the Cleveland Cavaliers (8-1) on Wednesday, November 9, 2022
Public Service Announcement:
Before the game, Coach Steve Kerr addressed the crowd and encouraged everyone to vote on election day tomorrow, November 8, 2022. In solidarity, the NBA will not have any games played tomorrow. All thirty teams played all fifteen games today in order to give fans time to exercise their right to vote.
“It’s symbolic, but it also gives the players, coaches, and team employees a chance to vote tomorrow if they are in their home districts…we hope that people get out to the polls tomorrow,” Coach Kerr said.
Here are today’s scores across the entire league:
Notes of Appreciation:
The photos, stats and video in this article are courtesy of the NBA and brought to you by PhilBoxing.com and our editor-in-chief Mr. Dong Secuya.
