Steph-less Warriors run out of steam in loss to Sacramento Kings

Steph-less Warriors Run Out of Steam in Loss to Sacramento Kings

The Warriors held the lead for nearly the entire first half despite missing their key players Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. Sacramento — Stephen Curry joined the pregame huddle via FaceTime, while a bespectacled Draymond Green took on assistant coaching duties in a navy blue sweatsuit. Jimmy Butler was absent altogether Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center.

Without their three top stars, two of whom did not make the short trip up I-80, the Warriors eventually faded against a Sacramento Kings team also missing key players. Golden State surged to a double-digit lead before halftime but ultimately lost 121-116.

“It was an amazing effort by our guys, and it should be a learning experience for our group,” coach Steve Kerr said after his B-squad fell short against a Sacramento team missing Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine.

Rookie Will Richard led Golden State with a game-high 30 points, while Moses Moody scored a career-best 28 and Jonathan Kuminga contributed 24 points and a team-high nine rebounds. However, their efforts were no match for Russell Westbrook’s triple-double of 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists, supported by five other Kings players scoring in double digits.

Richard, a second-round draft pick making his first career start, and Kuminga scored all but two of the Warriors’ first 23 points, helping Golden State take a 32-25 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Author’s summary: The Warriors, missing their key stars, showed strong effort from rookies but ultimately could not hold off a resilient Sacramento Kings team led by Russell Westbrook’s triple-double.

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The Mercury News The Mercury News — 2025-11-06

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