Now that DeMarcus Cousins is back the Sacramento Kings might be formidable again, but not every time, as the Golden State Warriors mopped the floor with them en route to a 128-108 win with Klay Thompson leading the way, Stephen Curry doing nothing special and David Lee playing for the first time in almost two months.
Thompson scored 25 points as the Warriors improved to 23-3 and 10-1 at home despite not having Andrew Bogut to make things a bit more solid in the paint for them. David Lee came off the bench to a standing ovation, scoring six points in 16 minutes. Despite his return, the theory of missing Lee and playing better was tested and proven through the first two months of the season, and it’s hard to believe Kerr will disturb what has worked so well for him with Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green in the lineup.
The Warriors are clicking so well right now that even a 12-point game from Stephen Curry doesn’t get in the way. In his defense, Curry didn’t try to force his scoring on the game and instead focused on making everyone happy, finishing with 11 assists. Not every game has to look like 3-point explosions from the MVP candidate. The Warriors moved the ball beatifuly in this one, finishing with 36 assists on the 49 field goals.
While games like the one in which they beat the Thunder are nice, Steve Kerr, a legendary 3-point specialist himself, probably prefers this version of the Warriors victories. Things were going so well even players like Justin Holiday got to be more involved than usual, scoring 12 points thanks to an extra long garbage time. The Warriors made sure it was going to be an easy finish by starting strong, opening a 16-point lead that later grew after the first quarter.
The Kings are trying to make something of this season despite the panic in the front office that caused Mike Malone to be fired for no good reason (that we know of). Josh Smith might be lined up for signing, although half the league will make that effort, and adding Smith could be a self inflicting wound kind of move.
The Warriors are out of that debate – they’re pleased with the roster they have and how it’s all shaping up following some minor additions to the bench and a big change at the coaching seat during the offseason. However, regular season success only promises more home games in the playoffs, nothing more. All the excellent moments and basketball that their fans are experiencing now won’t matter at all if this doesn’t turn out to be a historic season in the playoffs as well.