Warriors Complete Season Sweep of Kings

The Warriors won their second game in as many nights, beating the Kings 109-90 on Sunday in Sacramento. Andrew Wiggins led the Warriors with 25 points and Jordan Poole added 22, while Nemanja Bjelica and Jonathan Kuminga came through with big performances off the bench as the Dubs picked up their 50th win of the season.

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Although the Warriors led by as many as 26 points, Sacramento cut their deficit down to seven points. But with the game on the verge of getting away from the Dubs in the final period, Draymond Green came through with some playmaking in the clutch, assisting made shots on three straight Warriors possessions to put the Warriors back in front by double digits.

The win completed the Warriors’ four-game season sweep of the Kings, who are now eliminated from contention for the play-in tournament. The Dubs improve to 50-29 on the season, and they’ll now get three days off before hosting the Lakers on Thursday in the final regular season game at Chase Center.

GREEN STEPS UP
With the Warriors playing a day after a comeback win over Utah that clinched a playoff berth, several of the Warriors veterans were sitting out the back end of a back-to-back in Sacramento. But Draymond Green suited up and he made an immediate impact. He knocked down a pair of 3-pointers early in the opening period for his only points of the game, and his passing late in the contest helped keep the Warriors in front.

With the Kings on a 15-1 run to make it 93-86, Green had the ball outside the three-point line and the shot clock winding down. He started driving toward the basket before passing to Gary Payton II, who was cutting to the basket along the baseline. Payton caught the pass and converted the shot at the rim for his only points of the game.

Green would assist the next two shots – a Wiggins 3-pointer and Kuminga dunk – as the Warriors answered the Kings’ run with a 16-2 spurt of their own.

WIGGINS COMES THROUGH
Wiggins’ 25 points matched the most he has scored in a game in 2022. The All-Star wing shot 50 percent from the floor and 4-for-7 on 3-pointers, while also tallying five assists on the night. Wiggins played a key role in the Warriors’ run that put the game away, including a drive down the middle of the lane that he finished with a thunderous slam.

STRONG START FOR THE DUBS
The Warriors had the three-ball falling early. They made five threes before making their first two-point shot nearly seven minutes into the game. Green, Poole and Kuminga each made a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter and the team shot 7-for-12 from distance in the first quarter. While the Warriors were knocking down the shots from the perimeter, their defense held Sacramento to 29 percent shooting in the quarter, and the Dubs went into the second period up 28-14.

BIG GAME FROM BJELICA
Former Kings forward Nemanja Bjelica put together perhaps his best game of the season, finishing with season-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds along with six assists and two blocks. He made the first four shots he attempted and he either scored or assisted on seven of the Dubs’ first nine made shots of the second quarter. Bjelica was one of three Warriors reserves to score in double figures, as Kuminga finished with 17 points and Lee came through with 11 points while being on the receiving end of several of Bjelica’s assists. That strong bench effort resulted in Warriors reserves scoring almost half of the team’s points, outscoring the Kings’ reserves 54-33.

PLAY OF THE NIGHT
Toward the end of the second quarter, Wiggins dribbled through a double-team and drove toward the basket. As the help defender closed in, Wiggins dished to a cutting Kuminga, and the rookie showed off his explosive bounce and threw down a reverse slam.

The bucket was one of several standout plays from the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, who bounced back from two straight scoreless outings with one of his better all-around efforts (17 points, 6-for-11 FGs, 2-for 3 3FGs, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) of the season.

ADDRESSING THE TRAGEDY IN SACRAMENTO
Sunday’s game was played under a dark cloud in Sacramento after a mass shooting took place in the early hours of Sunday morning in Downtown Sacramento, not far from the Kings’ home arena. Prior to the game, Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr spoke on the incident that left six people dead and 12 others wounded.

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