Warriors beat Kings behind huge fourth quarter from Steph Curry, strong
bench performance
Warriors 113, Kings 98: Steph Curry scores 15 in the fourth quarter to
lead the shorthanded Warriors to a win over their Northern California rivals
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20:Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry #30 brings the ball down court in the second quarter of their NBA
game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20:Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry #30 brings the ball down court in the second quarter of their NBA
game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: December 20, 2021 at 9:25 p.m. | UPDATED: December 21, 2021
at 6:33 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/12/20/warriors-beat-kings-behind-huge-fourth-quarter-from-steph-curry-strong-bench-performance/

SAN FRANCISCO — With Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins in the league’s
COVID protocols and unable to play, the Warriors were looking for
someone to help Steph Curry carry the offensive load Monday against the
Sacramento Kings.

But many hands make light work.

Or, as the Warriors would say — there’s strength in numbers.

The Warriors had six players score double-digit points, the Golden State
bench combined for 47 points, and Draymond Green had his first
triple-double of the season to back up Curry, who scored 30 points — 15
in the fourth quarter — in Golden State’s 113-98 win.

Those many Golden State hands also swiped 12 steals in the game. It was
their 12th 10-plus steal game of the season for the NBA’s top-ranked
defense.

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’
Stephen Curry #30 celebrates a basket with Damion Lee #1 in the fourth
quarter of their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Damion Lee — typically a bench player — started in the place of Poole
and scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting to further bolster the Warriors’
offense.

Gary Payton II and Otto Porter each had 12 points off the bench. Andre
Iguodala added 10.

The Warriors had a 15-point first-half lead and a 12-point advantage
going into halftime, but saw that advantage disintegrate in the third
quarter, when Sacramento took a two-point lead with under two minutes to
play in the frame and Curry on the bench.

Curry sat the final three minutes of the third. The Warriors survived,
and the long rest going into the quarter break allowed Curry to start
the fourth and perhaps sparked his big frame. The Warriors had a 10-0
run in the fourth that proved the difference in the contest.

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Sacramento Kings’ Tyrese
Haliburton #0 shoots a layup as he’s double teamed by Golden State
Warriors’ Gary Payton II #0 and Otto Porter Jr. #32 in the fourth
quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.,
on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

The Kings, on the back-end of a two-city back-to-back, were without
De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, and 2021 first-round pick Davion Mitchell,
in addition to three other plays and their interim coach Alvin Gentry.
They were led by second-year point guard Tyrese Haliburton — 24 points
on 8-of-18 shooting, 11 assists — and Buddy Hield, who had 18
second-half points.

Green registered his triple-double in the first three quarters of the
game, scoring 12 points, picking up 10 rebounds, and dishing out 10
assists in his first 28 minutes Monday. He finished with 16 points. The
Warriors are now 30-1 in the regular season when Green has a triple-double.

Jonathan Kuminga started his second straight game Monday with Wiggins
out. But the rookie and No. 7 overall pick only played six minutes
before being ruled out with lower back tightness.

Kuminga scored two points, had a steal, and was a plus-seven alongside
Green and Curry.

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’
Jonathan Kuminga #00 shoots over Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnes #40
in the first quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’ Kevon
Looney #5 is called for a foul as he battles for the ball with
Sacramento Kings’ Tristan Thompson #13 in the second quarter of their
NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec.
20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’ Juan
Toscano-Anderson #95 and Sacramento Kings’ Harrison Barnes #40 battle
for a loose ball in the second quarter of their NBA game at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’
Draymond Green #23 goes to the hoop and is fouled by Sacramento Kings’
Chimezie Metu #7 in the first quarter of their NBA game at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Draymond Jamal Green, son of
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, picks up towels on the sideline
in the second quarter of their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at
the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021.
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Sacramento Kings’ Tyrese
Haliburton #0 shoots a layup as he’s double teamed by Golden State
Warriors’ Gary Payton II #0 and Otto Porter Jr. #32 in the fourth
quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.,
on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: The Golden State Warriors
bench reacts after a basket in the second quarter of their NBA game
against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’
Draymond Green #23 and Sacramento Kings’ Tristan Thompson #13 battle for
a loose ball in the second quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center
in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area
News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’ Chris
Chiozza #2 walks off the court during a timeout in the third quarter of
their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Sacramento Kings’ Jahmi’us
Ramsey #20 loses control of the ball as he’s double teamed by Golden
State Warriors’ Stephen Curry #30 and Otto Porter Jr. #32 in the fourth
quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif.,
on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’
Stephen Curry #30 celebrates a 3-point basket in the fourth quarter of
their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Sacramento Kings’ Tristan
Thompson #13 shoots a layup past Golden State Warriors’ Otto Porter Jr.
#32 in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors head
coach Steve Kerr, left, is presented with a jersey by former NBA player
Grant Hill before their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at the
Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. Kerr
was named the 2022-24 USA Basketball Men’s National Team head coach.
(Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’
Draymond Green #23 blocks a shot by Sacramento Kings’ Maurice Harkless
#8 in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News
Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’
Stephen Curry #30 celebrates a basket with Andre Iguodala #9 in the
fourth quarter of their NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at the
Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 20: Golden State Warriors’ Gary
Payton II #0 shoots past Sacramento Kings’ Chimezie Metu #7 in the
fourth quarter of their NBA game at the Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)