OAKLAND, Calif. – Klay Thompson scored 27 points, Stephen Curry had five 3-pointers among his 22 points, and the Golden State Warriors limited Sacramento to 34.5 percent shooting from the field Saturday night in a 98-87 victory over the Kings.
After combining for 46 points on 17-of-26 shooting from the field through three quarters, Golden State’s backcourt duo mostly watched from the bench in the final period while Warriors reserves finished off the lopsided victory.
David Lee had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Warriors, who shot 51.3 percent from the field. Curry added a game-high 12 assists.
Rookie Ben McLemore led the Kings with a career-high 19 points, while Travis Outlaw had 15 points and 12 rebounds and Jason Thompson had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Golden State’s lead never fell below 16 points in the fourth quarter until Sacramento reserves ended the game with a 13-4 run over the final minutes, handing Sacramento’s Michael Malone a loss in his first game as a head coach in the matchup of Northern California rivals. Malone, in his first year leading the Kings, was a Golden State assistant the past two seasons.
Thompson followed his career-high 38 points in Golden State’s season-opening victory Wednesday over the Los Angeles Lakers with another high-scoring effort that had a sellout crowd roaring at Oracle Arena
He wasn’t the only one. Curry, who on Thursday became the fifth player in NBA history to make nine 3-pointers in three career games, threatened early to do it again.
He made hit four 3s while scoring 17 points in the first half, keying a 13-2 run late in the second quarter that gave Sacramento its largest lead of the first half at 49-28. The Warriors scored 17 points in the final 4 minutes of the half.
DeMarcus Cousins of the Kings scored the first five points of the third quarter, then Marcus Thornton stole an errant pass by Curry and drove the length of the court for a layup that quickly cut Sacramento’s 20-point halftime lead to 56-44.
But after a timeout, Thompson quickly drained two 3-pointers to begin 15-0 run that gave Golden State its biggest lead, 71-44 midway through the third quarter.
McClemore provided an early thrill for Sacramento by beating the first-quarter buzzer with a 56-foot 3-pointer from beyond the half-court line. That was one of a career-high three 3-pointers by Sacramento’s first-round draft pick, who had 13 points in the first half to keep the Kings within striking distance.
McClemore answered a 3-pointer by Golden State’s Andre Iguodala in similar fashion midway through the second quarter, pulling Sacramento back within 36-26 after the Warriors threatened to pull away.
Centers Andrew Bogut and Cousins waged an individual battle in the paint , bumping and grinding against each other throughout the evening.
Bogut scored the game’s first four points over Cousins down low in the first 40 seconds, then later ripped the ball from his Sacramento counterpart’s hands for a steal amid heavy contact between the two midway through the second quarter. Cousins looked on with dismay, then went to the bench after committing his third foul on Bogut 17 seconds later on the other end of the court.
That standoff came during a 13-4 Golden State run during which the Warriors took control. Bogut later stuffed Cousins while he drove to the basket to begin a Golden State fastbreak the other way. Cousins, leading Sacramento with a 27-point average entering the game, was limited to eight points in 18 minutes.
NOTES: Warriors F Harrison Barnes (toe inflammation) missed his third consecutive game to begin the season, but he participated in the team’s morning shootaround, is getting close to game shape and could return early during Golden State’s four-game trip that begins Monday at Philadelphia. . When asked pre-game if he considers the Kings one of Golden State’s top rivals, Jackson laughed and said, “Come on, man. Yankees-Red Sox is a rivalry. Ali-Frazier was a rivalry. No. Neither of us has done anything.” . The Warriors debuted their alternative uniforms with white short-sleeve jerseys that they will wear during their six Saturday home game this season. . Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive served as vice chairman of the Warriors before purchasing the Kings earlier this year. Former Golden State star Chris Mullin, whose No. 17 uniform hangs from the rafters at Oracle Arena, is an adviser to the chairman for the Kings.
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