What we learned as Steph exits early in Warriors’ win over Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors remained unbeaten in the preseason with a 109-106 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday night, but the victory was about the last thing on anyone’s mind at Chase Center following a scary moment for all-world point guard Stephen Curry.
The centerpiece of Golden State’s team left the game late in the second quarter and walked off the court and into the back along with Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini.
The 10-time NBA All-Star did not come out for the second half, which in itself was not unusual. Curry didn’t play in either of the Warriors’ first two preseason games.
Turns out that Curry appears to be OK. Golden State informed reporters that Curry has a jammed finger and was in the weight room working out.
He missed quite an ending.
The teams swapped leads three times in the final two minutes, with Reece Beekman sinking a pair of free throws with 16.7 seconds remaining to nail down the victory.
The evening began on an uplifting note when Golden State held a pre-game ceremony honoring Curry’s achievements in the Summer Olympics. Curry already had possession of his gold medal since leaving Paris but in a way to let fans at Chase Center celebrate the moment, Draymond Green held the gold medal then handed it back to two-time MVP.
Moses Moody led the Warriors with a game-high 23 points. Jonathan Kuminga had 19 points and seven rebounds, while Buddy Hield scored 10.
Here are the takeaways from Friday’s game:
Poppin From The Perimeter Again
Steve Kerr has given his players a green light to “Let it fly” this season, and the Warriors are doing just that. Two days after draining 28 3-pointers, the Dubs once again were letting it fly from the perimeter, going 13 of 34 beyond the arc.
Eight different players made at least one trey, with Kuminga leading the way with three. Kyle Anderson and Buddy Hield chipped in with two 3’s apiece.
In an ironic twist, Curry was one of the few Warriors who didn’t have a lot of success from deep. Before leaving the game Curry was only 1 of 4 on 3-point attempts.
Moody Makes Most Of His Start
Moody has had a strong training camp and looked good coming off the bench in the Warriors’ first two preseason games, so coach Steve Kerr rewarded the 22-year-old shooting guard with a start against the Kings.
Moody took full advantage of the opportunity, shooting 7 of 13 (2 of 6 on 3s) and had three rebounds.
Moody could be a wild card of sorts for Golden State. If he’s on, the Warriors become much more explosive and diverse because opponents will have to pay more attention to him which in turn should open cleaner shots for his teammates.
Turnover Troubles
In many ways the Warriors were their own worst opponent against the Kings, primarily due to a turnover problem that has been an issue with Golden State for quite some time.
The Warriors coughed the ball up 13 times in the first half alone which led to 15 points for Sacramento. Fueled by the turnovers, the Kings took 12 more shots than the Warriors in the first half.
Overall, Sacramento scored 35 points off 24 turnovers by Golden State.
