https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/how-warriors-made-draymond-green-gary-payton-ii-game-3-win

How Warriors made up for Draymond, GP2 absences in Game 3 win

Apr 21, 2023
by Dalton Johnson

SAN FRANCISCO -- What looked like a step-back 3-point attempt on the way
from Donte DiVincenzo turned into a filthy hesitation move, ending with
a sky-high floater that dropped through the net to beat the buzzer at
the end of the first quarter Thursday night.

Steph Curry's jaw-dropping reaction summed up a smooth sequence that had
Warriors fans on their feet. With Draymond Green suspended and Gary
Payton II ruled out due to an illness, the Warriors needed a plethora of
players to up the ante against the Sacramento Kings, and Golden State
got exactly that in their 114-97 Game 3 win at Chase Center.

The 17-point victory was the Warriors' first win in this best-of-seven
series, and they'll have at least one reinforcement on the way for
Sunday's Game 4 matinee. Payton not being able to play was last-minute
news to everybody. Green had to watch the game from home, though he made
sure to send a message to his teammates one day prior.

"Nothing is necessarily certain going into the game, but Draymond did
come to practice the other day and really talked to everybody saying
everybody is going to have to step up, play more minutes and take on
some of his role," Moody said.

DiVincenzo and Moody were Steve Kerr's first two Warriors off the bench,
and each provided instant impact. Though DiVincenzo's two points at the
end of the first quarter were his only of the period and he was 1-of-5
shooting, the do-it-all guard added four rebounds, one assist and one
steal. DiVincenzo emanates energy and did so with eight rebounds, eight
assists and four steals in 27 minutes off the bench.

Moody made two big threes for the Warriors in the first quarter, a
glimpse into what would be a big night for the second-year pro.

In the Warriors' Game 1 loss, Moody didn't play a single second. He then
saw eight-and-a-half minutes of action in Game 2 and had a strong,
energetic performance with four points and five rebounds. That earned
him a sound spot in Thursday night's rotation, with or without Green and
Payton.

Moody ended the win playing a little under 16 minutes and gave the
Warriors 13 points and three rebounds, going 4 of 7 from the field and
made all three of his free throws. Through the first three quarters,
Kings star center Domantas Sabonis had 11 points. Moody had 13.

"I thought Moses really got us going in that first half with those two
threes," Kerr said.

Many assumed the young Warrior whose role would increase most, first
because of Green being gone for the game and then Payton's illness only
adding to the necessity, would be Jonathan Kuminga. The 20-year-old sat
on the bench for the entire first quarter. His first few minutes weren't
pretty.

It only got better from there for Kuminga. His head-shaking athleticism
is a regular part of Warriors games at this point. Kuminga was a plus-6
in 13 minutes off the bench, scoring six points to go with two rebounds,
one assist and one steal.

More than anyone, though, this night belonged to Kevon Looney. His
impact isn't highlight-worthy every game. He scored four points in the
Warriors' blowout win but was near the top of the list when it comes to
Warriors who led to a must-win performance.

Kerr has called him a "stabilizing force." This was yet the latest
example why.

Down Green and Payton, the pressure was on Looney. The Warriors center
answered every question that some might have been asking. Warriors
assistant coach Dejan Milojević and Looney broke down film before Game 3
with an emphasis on the big man using his skill set and positioning
better to his advantage as opposed to pushing and shoving down low.

The results were 20 rebounds, nine offensive and 11 defensive. Through
the first two games of the series, the Warriors were outrebounded by
nine and the Kings came away with 11 more offensive boards than the
Warriors. Those numbers were flipped in the Warriors' win, with Golden
State grabbing six more rebounds than Sacramento, including five more on
the offensive glass.

"Sometimes in rebounding, you can get in the zone," Looney said. "Just
how Steph and them 3-point shooters get in the zone, as a rebounder I
feel the same way sometimes, like I know where the ball is going. Every
time I touch it it seems to go my way, tips going my way and different
things like that."

For the second straight postseason, Looney's rebounding helped save the
Warriors' season. The team's leadership and veteran core begged Kerr and
others to put Looney back into the starting lineup after their 39-point
loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of the Western Conference
semifinals. Looney responded by securing 22 rebounds, 11 offensive and
11 defensive, helping propel the Warriors to the conference finals.

If he was beat up in the post and the Warriors fell to a
three-games-to-none hole against the Kings, their season likely would
have been over and who knows what would have happened next. Instead, he
was the key to the Warriors having 24 second-chance points, which
doubled the Kings' 12.

The shorthanded Warriors couldn't afford to have Looney in foul trouble.
He was whistled for one 44 seconds into the game, and didn't have
another foul the rest of the way.

Looney's game wasn't boxed into one aspect. He also dished nine assists,
tying his career high, as he played more a distributing position like
Green often does. He was responsible for 23 assist points, leading both
teams.

"We needed every bit of it and I know he relishes those opportunities to
make his presence felt in a very unique way," Curry said.

The Warriors' backs were against the wall. Taking away two of their top
players made the hole that much deeper to dig out of. Now, they've
created a series behind Curry's 36-point barrage and the cast around him
doing their part and then some.

No one player can replace Draymond Green. No one player can replace Gary
Payton II. Many made sure their absences didn't put a deciding pitchfork
into the Warriors' season.