SACRAMENTO — Stephen Curry participated in the pregame huddle via Facetime, a bespectacled Draymond Green took on the role of coach in a navy blue sweatsuit and Jimmy Butler was nowhere to be found Wednesday night inside the Golden1 Center.
Without their three biggest stars, two of whom did not make the short trip up I-80, the Warriors ran out of steam against a Sacramento Kings team also playing at less than full strength. Golden State raced out to a double-digit lead before halftime but watched it slip away in a 121-116 loss.
Will Richard and Moses Moody each scored 28 points, and Jonathan Kuminga added 24, but that was no match for Russell Westbrook’s triple-double (23 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) and five other Kings who finished in double figures.
Richard, a second-round draft pick making his first career start, combined with Kuminga to score all but two of the Warriors’ first 23 points as Golden State raced ahead to a 32-25 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Both players were already deep into double figures by halftime, helping Golden State to a 62-57 lead at intermission.
Moody picked up the slack after halftime, scoring 18 of his points in the second half, including a late 3-pointer followed by a 3-point play that pulled Golden State within 2, 100-98. The Warriors had possession down 117-114 with under a minute left when Kuminga beat his defender down low. But he was unable to finish the play, Sacramento secured the rebound and sank a pair of free throws to clinch the win.
Drew Eubanks gave the Kings a 5-4 lead 2 minutes into the first quarter, and Sacramento didn’t lead again until Kuminga sent Nique Clifford to the foul line early in the third quarter, allowing the Kings to briefly pull ahead 67-66. Golden State’s lead was as large as 13 points in the first half.
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It didn’t take long for the Kings to flip the score after halftime as the Warriors allowed them to get to the line 18 times in the third quarter alone while shooting 10-for-17 from the field. Meanwhile, Golden State’s offense went cold, connecting on one shot from the field over the final 3:57, and got sloppy, coughing the ball up eight times in the period to fall behind 92-85.
Three of the third-quarter fouls were administered to Kuminga, and he picked up his fifth personal with 9:27 to play, forcing one of the Warriors’ few reliable scoring options to the bench with them trailing 98-90. Golden State shot 53.5% from the field in the first half (8-18 from 3) but was limited to 36.3% (9-25 from 3) after halftime.
The game marked the first time this season the Warriors were without any of Curry (illness), Butler (low back) or Green (ribs). In their place, they started the least experienced lineup the organization has rolled out since April 26, 2012, two years before Kerr joined the Warriors.
That lineup, featuring a rookie Klay Thompson, was the last time all five players in the Warriors’ starting five had less than four years of NBA experience.
