SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors were trailing the Sacramento Kings for most of the game and on the brink of potentially losing their sixth straight game Monday night.
But Stephen Curry refused to let that happen.
Curry scored 17 of his season-high 47 points in the fourth quarter in the Warriors’ 116-113 come-from-behind win.
The Warriors superstar hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Warriors up by three with 1:23 remaining in the game to give Golden State its first lead since the opening quarter. Kings coach Mike Brown called a timeout as Curry gestured for the Chase Center crowd to get louder.
With the Warriors up by one with a second left, the Kings sent Curry to the foul line. “M-V-P” chants erupted. He made both, padding the Warriors lead to three.
Sacramento couldn’t hit the last-second basket as the Warriors squeaked out a close win, effectively snapping a five-game losing skid. Lost in the madness of Curry’s phenominal performance was Andrew Wiggins’ 25-point night and big fourth quarter. The wing, who’s been the team’s second-best player this season, scored 13 points in the fourth, making all five of his shots, including three from deep. Wiggins finished with his second double-double of the season, grabbing 10 rebounds.
Curry was once again outstanding as he willed the Warriors to victory. He shot 17-for-24 on the night, including seven 3s. He also contributed eight rebounds and eight assists in what was his best performance of the season.
Curry continues to put up fantastic numbers — he leads the team in nearly every statistical category and is averaging more than 31 points per game — but has little to show for it as the Warriors’ reserves continue to struggle.
Golden State’s bench, praised in the preseason for its depth, has struggled to find its groove. The Warriors’ reserves were outscored 49-15 by the Kings’ bench. Malik Monk dropped 24 off-the-bench for the Kings.
After an 0-5 road trip out east, coach Steve Kerr signaled changes were coming to the rotation as the reserves struggled to find their groove.
Those adjustments were on display Monday.
In previous games, James Wiseman joined Jordan Poole in being the first two players to check into the game for the Warriors.
Not Monday, though.
Instead, it was Anthony Lamb who checked in alongside Poole, replacing Klay Thompson and Kevin Looney, with the Warriors up 22-15. Moments later, Jonathan Kuminga checked in for Andrew Wiggins.
Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, didn’t play at all. Neither did JaMychal Green. Moses Moody, who had been a regular in the rotation, didn’t enter the game until midway through the second.
Kerr said pregame that he planned to “scale down” the lineups. With Kevon Looney picking up his third foul early in the second quarter, the Warriors turned to Draymond Green and Kuminga to play at center for the first half.
The Kings went on a 14-2 run in the last two minutes of the first quarter with Ty Jerome, Poole, Thompson, Lamb and Kuminga on the floor to give the visitors a two-point edge heading into the second.
“Ref, you suck,” chants broke out at Chase Center toward the end of the second quarter with the Warriors down eight points after Kerr was slapped with a technical foul. In the next quarter, Curry picked up a rare tech after he argued a no-call with an official.
Curry helped spark a 13-2 run to open the second quarter and cut the Kings’ lead to one. But Mike Brown’s squad kept finding ways to respond and maintain its lead until the end.
Four of the Warriors starters finished in double figure scoring.
The Warriors (4-8) have three days off before hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday.
“It’s pretty rare to have only two games in a stretch like this,” Kerr said before the game. “We have to take advantage of it while we can.”
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