Splash Brothers Power Golden State Warriors to Slim Victory Against Sacramento Kings

Dec 1, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry (30) drives in against Sacramento Kings point guard Greivis Vasquez (10) during the second quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Another great game for the Golden State Warriors. They have great road potential, but seem to be lost without their defensive weapon in Andre Iguodala. Ever since he fell to injury, the Warriors haven’t been able to limit any teams to less than 100 points. Tonight, the story was the same, but the Warriors put a win in the history books, defeating the Sacramento Kings 115-113.

With 28.7 remaining in the fourth quarter, Draymond Green tipped in Stephen Curry‘s missed shot to put the Warriors up by two. DeMarcus Cousins had had some big plays, and he scored a hook shot to tie the game up. With just more than 10 seconds left, the Warriors went right to Curry, who had been hot in the second half, scoring 11 points in the third and 12 points in the fourth. He drew a shooting foul and knocked down both free throws.

The little man, Isaiah Thomas found himself with a golden opportunity to tie the ballgame, but was met at the top by Andrew Bogut, who saved his best block for last. Bogut retained possession and threw the ball up in the air as high as he could as the clock expired. All four of these road games were decided in the  last minute of the ballgame. This just goes to show that the Warriors have a lot of potential, but still struggle to close out games without Iguodala.

In the first half, the Warriors and the Kings battled back and forth. The recurring issue for the Warriors has been free throw disparity, and tonight, this was the obvious reason that the Kings were able to stay in the game.

For the second, third and fourth quarters, the Warriors racked up the fouls and the Kings got into the bonus early each time. This did do some damage, as for some periods of time, it felt like the whistle would blow perennially in favor of Sacramento.

Nevertheless, the Warriors battled hard behind Curry’s huge 36-point night. He also added 10 dimes, three steals, and a block. Thompson, his brother in splashing, had a huge night as well with 28 points and 3 steals. He hit 8-for-11 from distance, which is a personal record for him.

The Warriors survived a major gut-check here tonight, and even a scoring drought in the third quarter, where Marcus Thornton really torched them in a short amount of time. It was a hard-fought on both ends, but ultimately, the Warriors came away with the victory and finish the trip 2-2. They now head back to Oracle with their chins up looking to take on the stumbling Toronto Raptors. After that, it’s right back on the road to face the Houston Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies.