Warriors get victory in San Jose.
Late 14-0 run pulls out game for Warriors, but Pachulia struggles
SAN JOSE — The list of potential holes on this loaded Warrior roster is small. But they’re easily identifiable. Perhaps the largest: a thin, aged center position.
It wasn’t a problem in the first two preseason games. It was glaring in a 105-96 win over the Sacramento Kings at SAP Center on Thursday. Forget the final score. A group of Warriors reserves finished the victory with a 14-0 run. In the moments that matter most in the preseason, DeMarcus Cousins had his way with Golden State’s frontline.
It started right off the tip. Cousins worked free for two easy mid-range jumpers on Sacramento’s first two possessions. The Kings scored on their first four. They were up to 10 points in a flash, capped by another Cousins score, this one a drive and reverse right by Zaza Pachulia.
“He’s a load,” Kevin Durant said.
This offseason, the 32year-old Pachulia joined the Warriors on a team-friendly $2.9 million deal, far below his market value. He was immediately slotted in as the starting center, Andrew Bogut’s replacement. He won’t block shots like Bogut, but he’s expected to provide a similar type of high-IQ defensive impact from below the rim.
But Thursday night in San Jose, Cousins exposed him on that end.
Cousins had 16 points at the half. The Kings had 55, pounding the Warriors softest spot and leading a regularly used Golden State rotation by five.
Of course, Cousins will pummel many frontlines this season. He’s arguably the league’s best center. So Golden State is fortunate he’s on a non-contender. But this served as a perfect learning experience. Teams will attack Golden State’s unprecedented collection of skill with size at times this season.
How will Steve Kerr respond? Late in the first half, he downsized, going with that super death lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Durant and Draymond Green.
The first time down, the Kings tried to post Cousins on Green. He forced a travel. Then Sacramento coach Dave Joerger ruined the preseason fun, plucking Cousins from the lineup and matching up with the Warriors.
It erased the lone chance to see a skilled big like Cousins try to pound a smaller Golden State lineup on one end while somehow trying to survive an offensive onslaught on the other.
“It’s the third preseason game,” Durant said. “I’m sure in the regular season, if he got rolling like that, we’ll make adjustments.”
Kerr wanted to give ros- ter hopeful JaVale McGee, 28, a shot. McGee’s night didn’t start beautifully. On his first possession, he tried to rifle a behind-the-back pass to a cutting Thompson. It rattled around some feet and went out of bounds, one of the Warriors’ 23 turnovers, continuing a concerning preseason trend.
But there were some encouraging moments for McGee, in a battle for the vacant 15th spot on the roster. Elliot Williams, his biggest competition, is out after an offseason knee scope. So any sliver of encouragement could go a long way, especially considering the state of Golden State’s center position. Just the fact that he got in the game before Anderson Varejao, James Michael McAdoo and Kevon Looney is noteworthy.
The crowd in San Jose, of course, didn’t come to see a batch of low-salary, variously aged big man battle it out for a small pile of minutes. They came for the stars. And even though the Kings led most of the night and the turnovers were a problem, they still delivered highlight moments.
Durant played spectacularly, starting his night with a ferocious reverse dunk and finishing with 25 points on only 11 shots in 26 minutes. Curry had some of those quick, patented pullup 3s. Green piled up five rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals in his 25 minutes.
Then the reserves capped off the show.
Late in the game, Kings led 96-91. But over the final 3:17, Golden State’s bench mob went on a thrilling 14-0 run, capped by consecutive 3-pointers by Ian Clark, Patrick McCaw and McAdoo, to overtake the game.