Field Level Media
Mar 17, 2018
Buddy Hield gave Sacramento the lead for good when he made one of two free throws with 27.5 seconds remaining and Willie Cauley-Stein blocked Nick Young's potential game-tying 3-pointer with 12.6 seconds left, sending the Kings to a 98-93 victory Friday night over the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors in Oakland, Calif.
Hield scored a team-high 22 points, including two clinching free throws with 13.2 seconds left, for the Kings, who completed a 2-0 sweep of their games in Oakland for the first time since 2003.
Quinn Cook had 25 points for the Warriors, who learned before the game that All-Star forward Kevin Durant would miss at least the next two weeks with a tear in his rib cartilage.
Durant joined Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on the Warriors sidelines, and watched Golden State's eight-game winning streak come to an end.
After De'Aaron Fox hit two key shots to give Sacramento a 93-90 lead with 59.1 seconds remaining, Draymond Green connected on a 3-pointer to draw the Warriors even with 50.1 seconds left.
Hield then hit his go-ahead free throw, and Green misfired on a 28-foot 3-pointer with 15.4 seconds remaining, forcing the Warriors to foul Hield again.
This time, he made a pair, and Cauley-Stein then blocked Young's straight-away 3-point attempt, eventually turning it into a dunk at the other end for a five-point cushion with 8.3 seconds to go.
Hield had a team-high seven assists to complement his 22 points for the Kings, who have won five of their last nine games.
Skal Labissiere added 15 points and Bogdan Bogdanovic 11 for Sacramento, while Kosta Koufos grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Cook's 25-point effort as Curry's replacement was highlighted by five 3-pointers. The Warriors made 12 threes, but were outscored 42-36 from beyond the arc by the Kings.
Green finished with 14 points and team-highs in rebounds (10) and assists (seven) for the Warriors, who play the second half of a back-to-back Saturday night at Phoenix.
The loss dropped Golden State (52-17) into a tie with Toronto (52-17) for the second-best record in the NBA behind Houston.
Young added 16 points and Andre Iguodala had 11 points for the Warriors, who led by as many as 11 points in the first half.
--Field Level Media