The Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 119-97 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on Friday, securing their second straight win and rising to the fifth in the Western Conference.

The Warriors, which had most of their best players on the court against basically the backup squad of the Kings, built a 16 point-lead (32-16) in the first quarter and kept it in double digits most of the time. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Donte DiVincenzo combined to drain 12 triples for the Warriors.

Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II made impressive offensive contributions as well off the bench. Both made two 3-pointers and shot 8-for-10 collectively. Such ferocious firepower in addition to Kevon Looney's dominance of rebounds (16 in total, including five on the offensive glass) and surprising passing performance (seven assists with only one turnover) enabled the Warriors to pocket their 10th win on the road this season.

Of course, Friday's game was not perfect for the Warriors. For example, the Kings cut their deficit to within three points twice though they rested their offensive engines Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox. Trey Lyles, Chimezie Metu and Richaun Holmes, none of whom played a major role on the team's roster, caused some trouble for the Warriors’ defense by combining to produce 41 points and 20 rebounds off the bench.

The Kings capitalized well on the Warriors' defensive weak link, namely Jordan Poole, to rally in the second and third quarters. Poole's poor offensive performance of missing all of his 10 field goals (FGs) on Friday night further amplified his defensive weakness. Both Davion Mitchell and PJ Dozier gave Poole a hard time with their aggressive defense.

The Kings, which will finish the regular season as the third in the West, will face the sixth-ranking team in the first round of the playoffs. So far, their opponents can be any of the following four teams: the Los Angeles Clippers, the Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers, or the New Orleans Pelicans. It won't be confirmed until the regular season ends on Sunday.

Other games on Friday (away teams come first):

Philadelphia 76ers 136-131 Atlanta Hawks

The 76ers won on the road in overtime by counting on their usual backup players at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday. Jalen McDaniels, George Niang and Danuel House Jr. combined to drop 70 points for the team. Shake Milton had a double-double of 15 points and 16 assists. The 76ers will play the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Hawks saw seven of their players score double-digit points after Trae Young delivered 20 of the team's 32 assists. Though he went 1-for-6 from downtown, Young earned 14 free throws and made 12 of them to contribute 27 points. They will finish the regular season as the eighth in the East and face the Miami first in the play-in tournament to fight for a playoff berth.

Orlando Magic 84-101 Brooklyn Nets

The Nets clinched automatic playoff qualification with a home win at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, on Friday. Mikal Bridges had a cold night from the field where he missed 17 of 24 attempts, including 11 behind the arc, but he is only one game away from finishing his fifth perfect advance campaign since he joined the NBA in 2018. By the way, Bridges is likely to play 83 games this season because he had made 56 appearances for the Phoenix Suns before he was traded to the Nets in February, when they had 27 games to go.

The Nets don't have to go through the play-in tournament but playing the 76ers in the first-round playoffs is no picnic. It should be interesting to see how the Nets contain Joel Embiid, a 2.13-meter-tall, 127-kilogram-heavy monster who has averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 10 free throw makes per game with their thin interior rotations and rich forward depth.

Chicago Bulls 115-112 Dallas Mavericks

The Bulls wiped the Mavericks' theoretical chance of entering the postseason with a 15-point comeback victory at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Friday. Coby White scored a double-double of 24 points and 11 assists. Patrick Williams got 10 of his 23 points in the third quarter for the Bulls to rally 31-24 in this period. Nikola Vucevic contributed a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds without playing in the fourth quarter. The Bulls, as the 10th in the East, will first visit Scotiabank Arena to challenge the Toronto Raptors in the play-in tournament. Both teams will need a win to continue their battle for a playoff berth.

It's difficult to imagine the Mavericks being disappointed with their loss on Friday, given that most of their starters did not play and their star, Luka Doncic, played less than 13 minutes. Their showhand trade for Kyrie Irving in February was a colossal flop, at least for this season, giving the team even more reason to tread carefully when negotiating an extension with Irving in the offseason.

Houston Rockets 112-109 Charlotte Hornets

Detroit Pistons 122-115 Indiana Pacers

Miami Heat 108-114 Washington Wizards

Toronto Raptors 102-121 Boston Celtics

Memphis Grizzlies 137-114 Milwaukee Bucks

New York Knicks 105-113 New Orleans Pelicans

Phoenix Suns 107-121 Los Angeles Lakers

Confirmed postseason matchups in the Eastern Conference (away teams in the first games come first):

Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers

New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat

Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors