SAN FRANCISCO — New Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown reflected on the type of relationship he hopes to have with Warriors coach Steve Kerr now that he coaches the other Northern California NBA team.
“Hopefully it’s one where I’m kicking his a– all the time,” the former Warriors assistant coach said Sunday. “I don’t think that will be the case right now.”
Brown was right.
The Kings almost pulled off a surprise double-digit come back in the fourth quarter but fell short as the Warriors held on 130-125.
Sunday looked like a scoring clinic at Chase Center, with both teams having their ways offensively.
Andrew Wiggins was hot out of the gates, scoring 13 of his 24 points in his first nine minutes on the floor.
The Kings remained within striking distance of the Warriors most of the first half. With about seven minutes remaining in the second, Keegan Murray, the No. 4 overall pick of this year’s draft, drained a 3-pointer to pull within one point of the Warriors. That was the closest Sacramento would get to Golden State for the rest of the night.
Things started snowballing for the Kings from there.
The Warriors outscored Mike Brown’s squad 31-14 over the last seven minutes of the quarter, with Stephen Curry leading the way by scoring 19 of those points.
Sure, the Warriors gave up 70 first-half points for the second consecutive game. But Sacramento still trailed Golden State by 18 points heading into the break.
The Warriors’ 89 first-half points were the third most scored in a half in franchise history.
The Kings trailed by as many as 26 points before coming back in the fourth quarter. Kerr re-inserted his starters down the stretch as the Kings cut the lead to single digits in the last three minutes. The Warriors missed 12 consecutive field goals, scoring only five points in the game’s final 6 minutes, 52 seconds. Curry missed an open layup, and the Kings responded by cutting the lead down to four points with a minute remaining.
The Warriors managed to hold on for their second win of the season.
Curry finished with a game-high 33 points, making seven 3-pointers.
Four Warriors players finished with double-digit scoring, including Jordan Poole who scored more points Sunday night as he did in the first two games combined.
Poole, who signed a four-year, $123 million extension before the season, finished with 24 points and four assists.
The Warriors (2-1) are scheduled to hit the road for their first away game of the season. They’ll travel to Phoenix and play the Suns Tuesday before returning to Chase Center Thursday to host the Miami Heat.
