Klay Thompson (#11) of the Golden State Warriors shoots in the game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, November 1, 2023. /CFP
The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings 102-101 at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, after Klay Thompson made a 0.2-second game-winning shot in the fourth quarter.
This was the second time the two teams met this season. The Kings missed their ace point guard De'Aaron Fox who sprained his right ankle in their win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, but the rest of the team kept the competition close with excellent teamwork as six of them scored in double digits.
The Kings forced as many as 17 turnovers by the opponents and grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, scoring a series of easy buckets via second-chance attacks and fast breaks. Harrison Barnes, Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk combined to go 10-for-18 from downtown. After Domantas Sabonis made his final shot from the left elbow, his side led by one point (101-100) when there were 14.5 seconds left.
Stephen Curry (#30) of the Golden State Warriors shoots in the game against the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, November 1, 2023. /CFP
The Warriors didn't call a timeout to begin their next possession. Stephen Curry faced double-teaming the second he dribbled to the front court. He passed the ball to Draymond Green but Barnes still followed Curry closely. Klay Thompson moved to the top of the key with Mitchell behind him. Thompson received the ball, broke into the 3-point line, paused to make room for shooting, and then pulled up to shoot while Mitchell and Keegan Murray tried to deflect his shot.
The ball flew into the hoop without touching any part of the iron, placing the Warriors into a one-point lead with just 0.2 seconds left. Thompson shot 5-for-14 in field goals (FGs) before taking that shot, but as a future Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame shooter who made 5,324 shots at 45.5 percent in his career, he never hesitated to do his job when he saw the chance. Meanwhile, the Warriors knew Thompson wouldn’t let them down after saving the day so many times with his shooting before.
LeBron James (#23) of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks in the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, November 1, 2023. /CFP
Other games on Wednesday (away teams come first):
Los Angeles Lakers 125-130 Los Angeles Lakers
Having played five games so far this season, the Lakers trailed by double-digit points in the first quarter in four of those games, including looking at a 13-point deficit (37-24) behind the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Wednesday.
However, the purple and gold managed to come back against the Phoenix Suns and the Kings in the end, before they did the same to the Clippers in overtime (OT). 18 of Kawhi Leonard's 38 points were scored in the first quarter during which he made seven of his eight shots. He had another 20 points in the three remaining periods plus OT while shooting 8-for-20 from the field because Anthony Davis closed out to target him.
Anthony Davis (#3) of the Los Angeles Lakers blocks a shot by Norman Powell of the Los Angeles Clippers in the game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, November 1, 2023. /CFP_
The Lakers didn't have enough defensive resources to contain both Leonard and Paul George. That's why George drained four triples to get 20 points in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, he was fouled out during OT, leaving Leonard alone to carry the Clippers' offense. Leonard made three of his six FG attempts to add eight points in OT, but it was not enough when the rest of the team missed all seven of their shots.
Davis rested less than six minutes in the long competition on Wednesday, but he still contributed a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds in addition to two steals and four blocks. LeBron James, who will turn 39 in less than two months, braced himself up to drop 35 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and two blocks for the Lakers. When people thought he is too old to dominate the game, he responded an interference, an alley-oop dunk in OT and a comeback win.
Dereck Lively II (#2) of the Dallas Mavericks dunks in the game against the Chicago Bulls at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, November 1, 2023. /CFP
Chicago Bulls 105-114 Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic struggled to shoot 5-for-16 from the field at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, but the Mavericks extended their winning streak to four games thanks to excellent performances by their role players.
Grant Williams drained seven 3-pointers out of nine attempts to score game-high 25 points for the Mavericks. Tim Hardway Jr. made seven shots behind the arc as well to add 24 points off the bench. The two of them along with Derrick Jones Jr., who got 17 points, made up for the offensive contributions that Doncic failed to make.
Nonetheless, one of the most important reasons for Williams, Hardway Jr. and Jones Jr. to get so many open shots was Dereck Lively II's dominance of the offensive glass. The 19-year-old rookie center had seven offensive rebounds and delivered six assists. He did simple work of finishing on the rim and competing for rebounds, but he was remarkable at doing them. The Mavericks had been missing a solid big man like him. They have finally found their guy.
Portland Trail Blazers 110-101 Detroit Pistons
Milwaukee Bucks 111-130 Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards 121-130 Atlanta Hawks
Indiana Pacers 104-155 Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets 109-105 Miami Heat
Cleveland Cavaliers 95-89 New York Knicks
New Orleans Pelicans 110-106 Oklahoma City Thunder
Charlotte Hornets 119-128 Houston Rockets
Denver Nuggets 89-110 Minnesota Timberwolves
Memphis Grizzlies 109-133 Utah Jazz