The Golden State Warriors had just defeated the Sacramento Kings at home on January 31 by a final score of 93-90. So when the Warriors undertook the long, arduous, one hour and 30-minute trip up to Sacramento on February 4, they knew they were in for a close contest. There are several things that teams try to do when they know they are playing in a close game: make sure to grab rebounds, force turnovers, and be efficient from the floor - field goals, three pointers, and free throws in all. The Warriors did two of those three in Sacramento, but it was their lacking in one fundamental that hurt them.
Let's take a look at some of the factors that attributed to close game and eventually, a Warrior loss:
Field Goal Percentage
The Warriors and Kings both shot around 43 percent from the field on the night - Warriors shot 43.3 percent and the Kings shot 43.9 percent. Shooting around that percentage is good for an entire team. The Warriors held the edge in shooting three-point field goals as they shot 55.2 percent, while the kings shot 45.5 percent. Again, neither percentage was bad and indicated a close contest. Both teams received big contributions as all starters from both squads scored in double figures - except for the Warriors' Andris Biedrins, who scored zero points. With such an evenly matched shooting contest, there had to be other factors that, in the end, would end up pulling these two teams apart.
Bench Play
Without the Warrior's bench play, they would not have been in this basketball game. Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis had sub-par shooting performances after finding a nice rhythm against the Utah Jazz on February 2. Curry was 4-for-14 from the floor with 11 points, including three three-pointers. While, Ellis was 7-for-17 from the floor with 18 points, including two three-pointers. If it wasn't for Nate Robinson and Klay Thompson, who had 20 and 16 points respectively, the Warriors don't even make it to overtime.
Rebounding and Turnovers
The turnovers generated by both teams were pretty atrocious. The Warriors turned the ball over 16 times and the Kings 18 times. Those numbers are not going to help either team in the end; however, the rebounding totals seemed to tell the tale of this game. The Warriors got out-rebounded 55-36 and of the Kings' 55 rebound, 20 of them were on the offensive glass. Those 20 rebounds led to 25 second-chance points for the Kings. If the Warriors even hold the Kings to maybe 17 or 18 offensive rebounds they could have won this game in regulation, but they couldn't make it happen.
In a game where the lead changed 27 times and was tied 12 times - including on the final buzzer of the fourth quarter - it was the lack of fundamentals that ultimately hurt the Warriors. Not to mention with the game tied at 102 apiece heading into the extra period, the Warriors couldn't buy a bucket in overtime.
The Warriors will return home to face the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time in two weeks -- the two teams faced off on Friday January 27 when the Thunder won 120-109. The Warriors will need solid fundamentals and a strong outing from their starters in order to pull out a win against the Thunder - who will be on the back-end of a back-to-back when they come into Oakland.
David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where they post fresh content daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions - all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, "Not knowing any better". Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.
You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp
Sources:
NBA.com. Warriors vs. Kings Recap. NBA 2012.
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