Warriors pull away from Kings down the stretch
FILE – Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the LA Clippers during the second quarter at Chase Center on October 21, 2021 in San Francisco, California. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Gary Payton II broke the game’s 19th and final tie on a 3-pointer with 8:53 remaining and the Golden State Warriors overcame a late scoring drought by Stephen Curry to beat the host Sacramento Kings 119-107 on Sunday night.
Curry finished with a game-high 27 points, but he didn’t score in the fourth quarter, which began with the Warriors leading 90-88.
Article continues after this advertisementStephen Curry does it all and drops 27 PTS, 7 REB, 10 AST and 3 STL as the @warriors improve to 3-0! pic.twitter.com/JSoArFyEBJ
— NBA (@NBA) October 25, 2021
Andrew Wiggins had two 3-pointers and Juan Toscano-Anderson made a third after Payton’s key long-distance hoop during Golden State’s pull-away, which began after Kings rookie Davion Mitchell had created the game’s last tie at 94-all in the third minute of the fourth quarter.
Sacramento drew within 107-104 on a 3-pointer by Buddy Hield with 4:36 to play, but Jordan Poole buried a pair of free throws and Draymond Green dropped in a layup, giving Golden State breathing room heading into a relatively comfortable finish.
Article continues after this advertisementIn the first regular-season matchup of Curry against Mitchell, regarded as a top-flight defender even as a rookie, the perennial Golden State All-Star was limited to 4-for-15 shooting on 3-pointers and 9-for-23 overall.
Curry also found time for seven rebounds and a game-high 10 assists, his second double-double after opening the season with a triple-double against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Mitchell, meanwhile, countered with 22 points on 9-for-16 shooting off the Sacramento bench.
Poole finished with 22 points, Wiggins 17, Green 14 to go with six rebounds and seven assists, and Damion Lee 11 for the Warriors, who have opened 3-0 for the first time since they began the 2015-16 season with 24 straight wins.
Payton, signed off the scrap heap after having been cut by the Warriors late in training camp, added 10 points in 17 minutes after having played a total of 10 seconds in Golden State’s first two games.
Harrison Barnes had five 3-pointers and 24 points to lead the Kings, who had won their last two meetings with the Warriors dating back to January 2019.
De’Aaron Fox chipped in with 17 points for Sacramento, while Richaun Holmes recorded a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds to complement 16 points.
Tyrese Haliburton had eight points, seven rebounds and a team-high nine assists for the Kings, who lost a second straight at home after an opening win at Portland.
Outshot from the field and outscored from 3-point range, the Warriors won the game at the free-throw line, where they went 20-for-24 while the Kings were just 8-for-13.
