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 "I just got a feeling we're going to win more games than last
year," Jackson said. "I got a strong feeling."
The Warriors' 47th win of a season with still six games remaining
came in convincing fashion when they completed a season-series sweep
of the Sacramento Kings in wire-to-wire fashion, 102-69.
In winning a fourth straight game in one season against the Kings
for the first time since 1991-92, the Warriors (47-29) also capped a
perfect 8-0 home season against Pacific Division foes for the first
time in franchise history.
"That says a lot because that's really difficult to do," Jackson
said of going 2-0 at home this season against the Kings, Los Angeles
Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. "To end a season with
that type of record against teams that know you and know you well is
awfully impressive."
Shooting guard Klay Thompson scored 21 points in just 23 1/2 minutes
as the Warriors built leads of 14 and 32 points in the first and
second quarters, respectively, en route to the one-sided win.
Thompson's 21 points included two 3-pointers, the first of which was
his 200th of the season. He and backcourt mate Stephen Curry, who
dropped in his 235th and 236th 3s of the season, became the first
set of teammates to top 200 in made 3-pointers in consecutive
seasons.
The victory allowed Golden State to move within 1 1/2 games of
Portland in the battle for the No. 5 playoff position in the West.
The Warriors still have a critical April 13 visit to Portland
remaining on the schedule.
"Give them a lot of credit. They played very well," said Kings coach
Michael Malone, who was a Warriors assistant last season.
"Obviously, they're fighting for their playoff seeding and their
playoff lives, so they came out and played with that sense of
urgency."
Center Jermaine O'Neal, starting in place of injured Andrew Bogut
(pelvic contusion), contributed 13 points and nine rebounds to the
win. Power forward Draymond Green, who was subbing for injured David
Lee (strained right hamstring), added a 10-point, 10-rebound
double-double.
They also combined with backup big man Marreese Speights (10
rebounds) to dominate a taller Kings team inside. Even without their
two starting frontcourt players, the Warriors still managed to
outrebound the DeMarcus Cousins-led Kings 58-44.
"When you've got a team with a DeMarcus Cousins who can dominate a
ballgame, that's pretty impressive," Green said of the strong
interior game. "It definitely was a team effort defensively. When
you have a team like that where they have guys who can go off, you
need a team effort."
Backup forward Harrison Barnes (16) and Curry (13) also were among
seven players to score in double figures for the Warriors, who are
now 11-1 after a defeat. Golden State was coming off a 111-90 loss
at San Antonio on Wednesday.
The Kings (27-49), who are tied with Detroit for seventh-worth
record in the league, shot just 17.9 percent from the field in the
first half while falling behind 59-27. They finished at 32.1
percent, a season low.
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"We had a lot against us tonight," Cousins said. "The game got away
from us and we were never able to recover."
Despite riding the momentum of a two-game winning streak,
Sacramento's miseries began almost immediately as Cousins was nailed
with two questionable fouls in the first 1:48 of the game. Malone
did not like either call and was whistled for a technical foul after
the second.
With Cousins on the bench, the Kings watched as the Warriors built a
double-digit lead within the first 6:37 of the game. Thompson had a
three-point play sandwiching dunks by Andre Iguodala and Speights in
a 7-0 burst that pushed Golden State into a 17-6 lead.
Cousins returned to the court for the start of the second quarter,
only to see the Warriors score the first seven points to open an
18-point advantage. Backup guard Jordan Crawford's 3-pointer capped
that run.
Cousins was back on the bench with three fouls by quarter's end and
the Warriors took advantage to close the second period on a 13-0 run
to blow the game wide open at 59-27. Thompson, Curry and Barnes all
had 3-pointers in the burst.
"Our early foul trouble put us in a hole," Malone said. "I'll have
to look at the film, but he (Cousins) has to be smarter. We talked
about it in shootaround: If you want to beat the Kings, get DeMarcus
in foul trouble."
Cousins bounced back to finish with 19 points and 11 rebounds for
the Kings, who were playing a sixth consecutive game without
starting point guard Isaiah Thomas (right quad contusion).
Starting small forward Rudy Gay and backup forward Jason Thompson
added 10 points apiece for Sacramento, which was held to its
season-low point total.
NOTES: The Warriors' biggest lead of the night was 42 points, 75-33
midway through the third quarter. ... The 33-point margin of victory
was the second largest ever for the Warriors over the Kings. Golden
State had a 62-point win, 153-91, on Nov. 2, 1991. ... The 69-point
total was the lowest for the Kings' franchise against the Warriors
since Rochester totaled 64 against Philadelphia on Nov. 11, 1953.
... The Warriors are hoping to have C Andrew Bogut (pelvic
contusion) and PF David Lee (strained right hamstring) back for
Sunday's home game against Utah. The chances of Bogut returning
Sunday are far greater than Lee. ... The Kings entered the game on
their seventh two-game winning streak of the season. They are now
1-6 under those circumstances.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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