OAKLAND -- In desperate need of a win, the Sacramento Kings traveled 90 minutes down the road to face off with the world champion Golden State Warriors. The Kings held tough midway through the first quarter, but the undefeated Warriors kept coming in waves. The end result was a 120-101 Warriors blowout victory, with Golden State extending their win streak to 18 games to begin the season.
Reigning league MVP Stephen Curry came out firing in the first quarter, scoring 17 of his team-high 19 in the first 12 minutes of the game. Draymond Green notched a triple-double, finishing the night with 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds in 36 minutes.
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Starting for the injured Harrison Barnes, Brandon Rush caught fire in the third, scoring 14 points during a wild seven-minute burst. Festus Ezeli added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Rudy Gay struggled with his shot for the second-straight game. The veteran wing finished with 20 points, but shot just 7-of-20 from the field in 27 minutes of action.
Kosta Koufos scored 14 points and seven rebounds starting for the injured DeMarcus Cousins, but it wasn’t nearly enough to match the Warriors' output.
Omri Casspi and Darren Collison chipped in 11 points each and Ben McLemore added 10 in the loss.
NBA
STANDOUT PERFORMER
Brandon Rush dropped a hammer on the Kings in the third quarter, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting during the first 7:31 of the period. By the time he came out of the game with just over four minutes remaining in the quarter, the Warriors were up 26 and the game was decided.
TURNING POINT
Sacramento fell asleep coming out of the break and the Warriors punished them. The Kings turned the ball over three possessions in a row to begin the third and the Warriors quickly turned a 10-point halftime lead to 27 by the 5:46 mark.
INJURY UPDATE
DeMarcus Cousins missed his third-straight game with a lower back strain. The 25-year-old center did not travel with the team to Oakland, but he is expected back early this week.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Kings return to Sacramento for a Monday night matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at Sleep Train Arena. Following the Mavs game, the Kings travel to Mexico City for a meeting with the Boston Celtics on Thursday.