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Warriors 102, Kings 69

Alan Draper profile picture
Sports Editor
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OAKLAND, Calif. — The Golden State Warriors completed a season-series sweep of the Sacramento Kings in convincing fashion Friday night, crushing their northern California rivals in wire-to-wire fashion, 102-69.

In winning a fourth straight in one season against the Kings for the first time since 1991-92, the Warriors (47-29) also capped a perfect 8-0 home season against Pacific Division foes for the first time in franchise history.

Shooting guard Klay Thompson scored 21 points in just 23 minutes as the Warriors built leads of 14 and 32 points in the first and second quarters, respectively, en route to the one-sided win.

Thompson’s 21 points included two 3-pointers, the first of which was his 200th of the season. He and backcourt mate Stephen Curry, who dropped in his 235th and 236th 3s of the season, became the first set of teammates to top the 200 mark in made 3-pointers in consecutive seasons.

The victory allowed Golden State to move within 1 1/2 games of Portland in the battle for the No. 5 playoff position in the West. The Warriors have just six games remaining, including an April 13 visit to Portland.

Center Jermaine O’Neal, starting in place of injured Andrew Bogut (pelvic contusion), contributed 13 points and nine rebounds to the win. Power forward Draymond Green, who was subbing for injured David Lee (strained right hamstring), added a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Backup forward Harrison Barnes (16) and Curry (13) also were among seven players to score in double figures for the Warriors, who are now 11-1 after a loss. Golden State was coming off a 111-90 loss at San Antonio on Wednesday.

The Kings (27-49), who are tied with Detroit for seventh-worth record in the league, shot just 17.9 percent from the field in the first half while falling behind 59-27. They finished at 32.1 percent.

Despite riding the momentum of a two-game winning streak, Sacramento’s miseries began almost immediately as star center DeMarcus Cousins was nailed with two questionable fouls in the first 1:48 of the game. Kings coach Michael Malone did not like either call and was whistled for a technical foul after the second.

With Cousins on the bench, the Kings watched as the Warriors build a double-digit lead within the first 6:37 of the game. Thompson had a three-point play sandwiching dunks by small forward Andre Iguodala and backup big man Marreese Speights in a 7-0 burst that pushed Golden State into a 17-6 lead.

Cousins returned to the court for the start of the second quarter, only to see the Warriors score the first seven points to open an 18-point advantage. Backup guard Jordan Crawford’s 3-pointer capped that run.

Cousins was back on the bench with three fouls by quarter’s end and the Warriors took advantage to close the second period on a 13-0 run to blow the game wide open at 59-27. Thompson, Curry and Barnes all had 3-pointers in the burst.

Cousins rebounded to finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings, who were playing a sixth consecutive game without starting point guard Isaiah Thomas (right quad contusion).

Starting small forward Rudy Gay and backup forward Jason Thompson added 10 points apiece for Sacramento, which was held to its season-low point total.

NOTES: The Warriors are hoping to have C Andrew Bogut (pelvic contusion) and PF David Lee (strained right hamstring) back for Sunday’s home game against Utah. The chances of Bogut returning Sunday are far greater than Lee. … The Kings entered the game on their seventh two-game winning streak of the season. They had gone 1-5 in their previous efforts to extend the streak to three. … The game featured the 35th (Warriors PF Draymond Green) and 36th (Kings PG Ray McCallum) picks of the 2012 draft as starters. Green was making his ninth start, having averaged 9.3 points and 8.3 rebounds in his first eight. McCallum was making his sixth consecutive start, having averaged 45.4 minutes in his first five starts. … McCallum has been starting in place of injured PG Isaiah Thomas (right quad contusion), about whom Kings coach Michael Malone said before the game: “There’s no need to rush him back and risk further damage. The reality is right now we’re not playing for anything.”

Alan is an expert gambling writer who works as one of the chief editors for Basketball Insiders. He has been covering online gambling and sports betting for over 8 years, having written for the likes of Sportlens, Compare.bet, The Sports Daily, 90min, and TopRatedCasinos.co.uk. His particular specialisms include US online casinos and gambling regulations, and soccer and basketball betting. Based in London, Alan holds an MA in English Literature and is a passionate supporter of Chelsea FC.

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