Warriors Outlast Kings in Battle of the Bay

“What a game!,”….is something no one would say.

Mar 6, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors small forward Draymond Green (23) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings shooting guard Marcus Thornton (23) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

In fact, this was one of the best defensive games of the year, which means the game was boring. Nevertheless, the Kings’ woes continued, but the Warriors were able to win their second straight, putting some distance between them and the Rockets in playoff seeding. It was a hard fought and physical game, but in the end, the Warriors came out on top, 87-83.

These two teams, for some reason, always go to overtime, or end up winning at the end of regulation. That has always been the case.

In the first quarter of this game, both teams got excellent looks at the basket, and were playing well offensively. Of course, however, the Warriors’ defense wasn’t very good, and they had many early turnovers. The Kings were able to score on Andrew Bogut easily, and forced the Warriors into 4/10 shooting to start. Unfortunately, Thompson and Curry were too much to deal with, and the Warriors lead 17-12, and eventually took a 26-16 lead closing the quarter. Defense picked up for both teams, and the Kings pulled back to a 28-21 deficit at the end of the first.

In the second quarter, the Kings really smothered Stephen Curry into turnovers and frustration. The Warriors were limited to only 13 points in the quarter, while the Kings scored 23. So both teams were playing good defense, and the pace was really just back and forth. Each team was getting good shots, but weren’t able to convert. Heading into the second half, the Kings were leading 44-41.

Entering the third, the Warriors were kept at a three point deficit, and neither team’s offense really came alive for the first couple minutes of the the quarter. It was very boring for the fans, and the life was literally sucked right out of the building. The Warriors were the first to break the dry spell, however, when they gave the ball to Klay Thomspon, who delivered. He made all the right decisions, and the Warriors lead 61-56 with 3:10 left in the quarter. Even though the Kings weren’t getting any calls from the officials, they stayed in the game, and were only down 69-63 at the end of the third.

At the beginning of the final period, the Warriors and the Kings both played good defense once again, and the Kings were able to pull within two. They came close to taking the lead a couple times, and finally did so when Patrick Patterson hit a contested three from the corner. After a couple scoreless possessions, the Warriors turned to Klay Thompson who hit a perfect three off of a pass from David Lee with seven seconds left. After that, Tyreke Evans missed a layup, but barely. Draymond Green hit both of his free throws and the Warriors won the game.

Leading Scorers

Jason Thompson: 17 Points, 8 rebounds

Harrison Barnes: 14 points, 4 rebounds

Klay Thompson: 20 points, 5 rebounds