SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings are no different from almost every other team in the league - they can’t beat the Golden State Warriors. The defending champs used red-hot shooting from the perimeter and received big time performances out of their stars to come away with a 128-116 win in Sacramento Saturday night.
Reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry scorched the Kings for 38 points and 11 assists as the Warriors swept the season series with the Kings 4-0. His 14-point fourth quarter held the Kings at bay and his 8-of-14 shooting from long range was nothing short of amazing.
Draymond Green set the tone early, scoring 18 of his 25 points in the first half on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. The versatile forward grabbed nine rebounds and handed out four assists to go with his scoring numbers.
Klay Thompson chipped in a quiet 15 points in 29 minutes as the Warriors improved to 35-2 on the season.
After missing all or most of the previous three matchups with the Warriors, DeMarcus Cousins came to play until the foul bug came calling. Cousins finished the night with 33 points and 10 rebounds, but his absence due to foul trouble in the third quarter proved disastrous for the Kings.
Rudy Gay continued his strong play of late, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting. The veteran wing is averaging 24 points per game over his last three games.
Darren Collison shrugged off a slow start to score 16 points and hand out six assists. Marco Belinelli dropped in 13 points off the Kings bench and Willie Cauley-Stein added 10 points after missing the previous two games with a finger injury.
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Stephen Curry was really good, as expected, but Draymond Green was a difference maker. The standout forward drilled the Kings for 25 points on 5-for-6 shooting from 3-point land.
TURNING POINT
Cousins picked up his fourth foul on a moving screen call with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter and the Kings trailing by just three. Golden State finished the quarter on 31-22 run and took a 96-84 lead to the final frame. Sacramento made a run late, but the 12-point deficit was too much to overcome.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Golden State shot an incredible 19-for-37 from behind the arc. It’s tough to compete when your opponent outscores you 57-24 from 3-point range.
INJURY UPDATE
Willie Cauley-Stein returned to action after missing the previous two games with a lacerated right middle finger. The rookie scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting nine minutes of action. Omri Casspi missed his fourth straight game with upper back soreness.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Kings get a three-day break before returning to their home court on Wednesday to take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
