What we learned as Steph Curry, Warriors outlast Kings in down-to-the-wire win

What we learned as Steph Curry, Warriors outlast Kings in down-to-the-wire win originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

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SAN FRANCISCO – Coming off a last-second loss to the Houston Rockets in Steph Curry’s return, the Warriors were supposed to have a stroll in the park playing their little brothers from up north.

So much for that leisurely stroll.

The Warriors led by as many as 16 points but trailed for the majority of the fourth quarter before pulling out a 110-105 win against the Sacramento Kings at Chase Center.

Curry in his second game back from runner’s knee played 25 minutes and scored 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting. He was one of three Warriors to make four 3-pointers.

A standout that deserves mentioning is journeyman Charles Bassey, who is on third 10-day contract this season for his second team. Bassey in his first game with the Warriors two days ago had five points, four rebounds and two blocked shots. He was even better Tuesday night, putting up a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Turnovers, as they always seem to be, were a detriment to the Warriors. The Warriors lost the turnover battle 17 to 15, giving the Kings 22 free points. Their next three games will have to be much cleaner going into the play-in tournament.

Here are three takeaways from a Warriors win that improved their record to 37-42.

Round Two

Curry again came off the bench for the second straight game, this time entering at the 6:24 mark of the first quarter with his brother Seth already on the court. Curry missed his first shot, a 30-foot 3-point attempt, but drained his second try from 27 feet out to the delight of Warriors fans. The first quarter was a sloppy 12 minutes full of wacky lineups that had them trailing by one point at the end of the period.

The real theatrics came in the second quarter when Curry had not one but two four-point plays, prompting the crowd to start MVP chants.

With the Warriors going from down by one through one quarter to up by 13 at halftime, Curry led the way with 14 points. He was one of four Warriors already in double figures. The Kings didn’t have any.

Down by two points, Curry came in at the 5:53 mark of the fourth quarter to try and secure a win. Luckily for him, the Warriors didn’t need him to wear his cape for a victory. Curry scored three points in the final frame and was a plus-7 in the fourth quarter.

Last-Second Spencer

Steve Kerr’s 40th different starting lineup already looked weird enough, but then rookie Will Richard was scratched right before tipoff because of lower back soreness. In came Pat Spencer, who made an immediate impact.

After two free throws from Brandin Podziemski, Spencer made the Warriors’ first two shots – a pullup 3-pointer and a turnaround jumper. He added a mid-range jumper later in the quarter, too. Spencer’s seven points in the first quarter matched how many he scored all last game.

Another four points in the second quarter brought Spencer to 11 entering the second half. The Warriors’ second-quarter mojo didn’t follow them to the third. All of the sudden, Spencer was the Warriors’ leading scorer with 14 points entering the fourth quarter, and Golden State only led by four points after scoring a lowly 19 points in the third.

What began as a last-second start turned into Spencer playing a game-high 41 minutes. His 14 points came on an inefficient 5-of-16 shooting, but the Warriors needed every minute Spencer gave them.

Melton Finds His Shot

Shooting has been a struggle for De’Anthony Melton as he plays through injury and also still tries to prove himself more for a payday this summer. Melton shot an ugly 39 percent from the field overall and 25 percent from deep in March. He closed the month out with a donut in the scoring section while missing all five of his shot attempts in a blowout loss against the Denver Nuggets.

The second quarter Tuesday night had to have been a welcome sight for Melton. Finally, he could have a sigh of relief watching shots fall through.

Melton led the Warriors with 12 points in the second quarter on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2 of 3 beyond the arc. His second-quarter scoring came off finishing a layup, a floater, a three from the right corner and a deep three from the top of the arc. In his previous three games combined, Melton had scored a total of 11 points on four made shots.

When the Warriors needed him more than expected, Melton hit clutch threes in the fourth quarter. First, he gave them a one-point lead. Two possessions later, he tied it up. Melon in 29 minutes scored 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting and made four threes, which were his most in two months.

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