Sunday, February 5, 2017

Curry, Warriors miss shots down stretch, lose to Kings

 Stephen Curry just plain missed when it mattered most and said so afterward. Steve Kerr insists he got what he deserved being ejected for going absolutely crazy at the refs and losing his cool. The Golden State Warriors showed some flaws and played one of their worst games yet.
Draymond Green failed to knock down a 3-pointer from the top of the arc at the final buzzer and DeMarcus Cousins scored six of his 32 points in overtime and overcame several key mistakes as the Sacramento Kings snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Warriors with a wild 109-106 win Saturday night.
"We got what we deserved - before I was tossed and after," Kerr said. "It was one of the worst games we played all season. We had no purpose. The ball didn't move. I didn't even recognize our team out there tonight. Maybe we were due for one."
Curry's layup attempt with 4.9 seconds left clanked off the rim and the two-time reigning NBA MVP also missed a short jumper with 6.9 seconds left, but finished with 35.
Cousins was unable to corral the rebound on the first miss and the ball went out of bounds at the baseline to the Warriors for one more try with 6.2 ticks remaining.
"I just missed it," Curry said. "Tough way to end the game with a shot at point-blank range to erase all the mishaps earlier."
Darren Collison scored 18 points and the bench added 45 for Sacramento, which lost 117-106 to Golden State at the Golden 1 Center last month as the Warriors rallied in the second half.
Kerr was tossed with 3:34 left in the third and had to be held back near midcourt by assistant coach Mike Brown as the reigning NBA Coach of the Year moved toward official Bill Spooner. Kerr, irate and swearing after a pair of loose ball fouls on Kevon Looney 18 seconds apart, pointed and gestured while repeating profanities.
"I got what I deserved. I deserved to be ejected - so I was. I have no complaints," Kerr said. "I was angry."
After four straight Kings free throws - one for a technical on Green - Kerr erupted. Curry and Klay Thompson hit consecutive 3s, but that momentum was short-lived.
Golden State dropped to 0-3 in OT this season.
A night after recording his sixth career triple-double, Cousins had 12 rebounds and nine assists to just miss another. This win could provide some much-needed momentum for Sacramento, in a stretch with 11 of 13 home games.
With Sacramento ahead 96-95 in regulation, Cousins also became furious with Spooner and received a technical with 2:08 to play for yelling and gesturing in frustration. Curry hit the tying free throw to tie it at 96.
"There are no excuses. It's something we've been preaching for a long time," Cousins said. "I'm so proud of my team. We came out and got a big win. We competed from start to finish."
Green walked off on his own after missing a driving layin at Cousins 1:17 before halftime and going down hard by a cameraman. He grabbed his right knee, an X-ray was negative and he was back on the court by the 10:09 mark of the third.
Sacramento guard Arron Afflalo was back after missing Friday night's 105-103 home loss with a stomach virus.
Green returned from a one-game absence with a bruised left shoulder and Shaun Livingston also was back after being sidelined the past two games with a strained mid-back.
DURANT'S OFF NIGHT
Typically the epitome of efficiency, Kevin Durant wasn't his usual steady self.
KD was held without a field goal until his dunk 3:19 before halftime and wound up with 10 points in a rare off shooting night. He was 2 for 10 from the field and missed all six of his 3-point tries, but had nine rebounds and five blocks.
TIP-INS
Warriors: F David West, out since sustaining a non-displaced fracture of his left thumb Jan. 18 against Oklahoma City, continues to make progress and could return as soon as Wednesday given the team has a couple of days to practice and work him back into the mix.
Kings: F Omri Casspi, out the last 10 games with a strained right calf, will not return until after the All-Star break. "We're going to be a little conservative with it," coach Dave Joerger said.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Golden State has a rare and helpful three-break between games before hosting Chicago on Wednesday.
Kings: Host the Bulls on Monday looking to snap a four-game skid in the series and get their first home win against Chicago since Nov. 20, 2014.

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