The Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings in another nail-biter thanks to a game-winning jump shot from Klay Thompson in the dying seconds of regulation. 

The Warriors defeated the Kings 102-101 in front of 18,064 fans at San Francisco’s sold-out Chase Center with to 21 points from Stephen Curry and a dagger from Klay Thompson. 

The Kings swarmed Curry to steal the ball, and despite Davion Mitchell’s best efforts, Tristan Thompson sunk a three-pointer from the top of the key with 0.2 seconds left.

Mitchell admitted, “I can’t do no better than that.” I can’t stop it because I’m too short. I really attempted to push him off his perch, but he seemed determined. For good reason, he is considered among the best. 

Steve Kerr, head coach of the Warriors, has watched Klay Thompson come through in the clutch on numerous occasions over the previous nine years, resulting in four NBA titles.

Kerr remarked, “Obviously he’s made a million big shots for us over the years.” “But if you hit one with.2 left when you’re down, that’s a thrill for anybody no matter how many times you’ve done it before.” 

Twelve of the Kings’ last eighteen games (preseason, regular season, and playoffs) have been against the Warriors. The Kings have a record of 3-9 in those matchups, including a 7-game playoff series loss to the Warriors in the first round last year. Malik Monk, a guard for the Kings, remarked, “They have our numbers.” “… Not by 30 points, at least. We’re always right there, but we do need to fix some little things, and I’m confident that we can.

For the Kings (2-2), Domantas Sabonis recorded another double-double with a final stat line of 21 points, 11 boards, and six helpers. Sabonis recorded his fourth consecutive game with at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. 

He joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in franchise history to post 10-10-5 in the first four games of a season. In addition, he joined Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Sam Lacey, and Chris Webber as the only players in team history to have a double-double through the first four games of the season. After the game, Sabonis was asked his thoughts on Thompson’s game-winning shot. When Steph Curry is in the game, “it’s a tough play,” Sabonis said. You know, our coaches were yelling at us to hit Steph, which means to knock the ball out of his hands so that someone else can take over and make a play. The shot (by Thompson) was an excellent one. 

With Davion in the vicinity, Klay simply shot the ball and scored a basket. Monk scored 16 points in 24 minutes off the bench to help the Kings (3-1) win without All-NBA point guard De’Aaron Fox. To that, 14 points came from Harrison Barnes. Mitchell, starting in place of the injured Fox, scored 13 points and dished out four assists and three rebounds. He shot 5/9 from the floor and 3/6 from deep.

Kevin Heurter scored 11 points and grabbed 9 rebounds while dishing out 3 assists. Keegan Murray was restricted to 10 points. He shot 4/15 from the field and 0/7 from deep. The Warriors (4-1) were led by Dario Saric’s 15 points and 6 boards. Each of Andrew Wiggins and Thompson finished with 14 points. Kings head coach Mike Brown stated, “Guys played hard.” They set us up for success, and Klay Thompson came through with a huge shot. 

You give credit to the Hall of Famer and go on to the next game because “that’s what Hall of Famers do.” After Draymond Green got things going with two 3-pointers, the Warriors jumped out to a quick 12-3 lead over the Kings in the opening 2:09. At the end of the first quarter, the Kings took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Monk as time expired.

Huerter’s transition layup midway through the second quarter gave Sacramento a six-point lead. After trailing by one, Golden State took the lead for good on a shot by Wiggins, and they took a 56-55 advantage into the locker room at the half. 

After a scoreless first half, the Kings started the second with a 14-2 run, capped by Murray’s basket for a 69-58 advantage. The Warriors went on a run of their own, outscoring their opponents 13-5, to close the gap to five points by the end of the third quarter. In the final 10 minutes, there were five ties and seven different leaders. 

Curry hit a 3-pointer to put the Warriors ahead 90-89. With 2:53 remaining, Barnes made two free throws to give the Kings the lead for good. Sabonis’s bank shot from 21 feet out with 15.1 seconds left put the Kings ahead 101-100, but it only served to set the table for Thompson’s heroics.

 Barnes said, “I thought we blitzed Steph, got the ball out of his hands, tried to do a good job, tried to take everyone else away, and ultimately, he just hit a tough shot over Davion.” “… There are a number of benefits, but ultimately, success is what matters. 

There are no moral high ground to be gained. We’ve seen this club a good 20 times since the conclusion of last season, so it’s just a matter of finally beating them.