How Warriors’ seven-minute non-Steph stretch fueled win vs. Kings

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How Warriors’ seven-minute non-Steph stretch fueled win vs. Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Another night in the record books for Steph Curry.

The Warriors’ superstar finished with 20 points Friday night, marking the 700th time in his career he has reached that number, becoming the first to achieve the milestone in franchise history.

Only 21 players have done so ever, and just four current players – Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and James Harden. Yet it was those around Curry who led to the Warriors’ dominant 132-106 win against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.

“I thought Steph was brilliant in the first half,” Steve Kerr said after the win. “He was 2 for 3, and you don’t see that very often where he only gets three shots in a half, but he had six assists and no turnovers and controlled the game.”

Kings interim coach Doug Christie’s game plan was clear from the opening tip: Anybody but Curry. The Kings were picking him up full court and forcing the ball out of Curry’s hands. But instead of forcing the issue, Curry played in the flow of the game and continuously made smart decisions. He took only one shot in the first quarter – a made 3-pointer – and two in the second, missing a three but making a running layup.

When Curry went to the bench near the end of the first quarter, the 2:32 mark to be exact, the Warriors led by three points, 26-23, but then missed their next five shot attempts. A Zach LaVine three with a minute and a half left in the first frame tied it up, and two free throws by Jonas Valanciunas gave the Kings a two-point lead. But in the final 33 seconds of the quarter, a Buddy Hield three at the top of the arc and a Brandin Podziemski layup gave the Warriors a three-point lead again going into the second.

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Then came the start of the second quarter, where the non-Steph minutes became even more important. And his teammates didn’t let him down one bit.

“Well, Quinten came in and knocked…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/warriors-seven-minute-non-steph-001024261.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-22 00:10:00

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