The Golden State Warriors defeated the Sacramento Kings on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center, but a horrific back injury to Pat McCaw overshadowed the win.
The reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors finally earned their 55th win of the 2017-18 regular season, besting the Sacramento Kings on the road at the Golden 1 Center 112-96 on Saturday.
With three of their four All-Stars back in the lineup, the Dubs got off to a great start against the Kings, recorded a 28-25 lead in the first quarter. They followed it up with a 29-24 second quarter, finishing the first half up 57-49 in Sacramento.
The Warriors opened the second half with a 36-18 third quarter, putting the Dubs up 93-69 going into the final 12 minutes. Golden State closed out the night with 19 points in garbage time, which was just enough to hold off a 27-point comeback effort from the Kings.
The Warriors improve their regular season win/loss record to 55-21, breaking their three-game losing streak. They’ll return to Oracle Arena on Sunday to host the Phoenix Suns at 5:30 p.m. PST.
Steve Kerr on Patrick McCaw’s status postgame. #Warriors pic.twitter.com/u227phCOL7
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 1, 2018
Kevin Durant paced the Warriors on Saturday against the Kings, recording a double-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one block in 31 minutes. He shot 8-of-16 from the field, 2-of-5 from behind the arc and 9-of-11 from the free throw line.
After missing the past eight contests due to a fractured right thumb, Klay Thompson returned to the fold in Sacramento, posting 25 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. He didn’t shoot particularly well from outside, going just 3-of-7 from long range, but he shot 10-of-19 overall and 2-of-3 from the charity stripe.
Quinn Cook rounded out Golden State’s double-digit scorers, dropping in 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal on 4-of-10 shooting.
The biggest story of the night, however, was Patrick McCaw‘s incredibly scary fall near the end of the third quarter:
Patrick McCaw hurt after taking a hard fall under the hoop pic.twitter.com/0mYUeSpjKQ
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 1, 2018
Moving toward the basket on a backdoor cut, McCaw received a pass from Jordan Bell. Going up for dunk, McCaw was accidentally undercut by Vince Carter, causing McCaw to fall hard on his back.
McCaw horrifyingly writhed around on the floor, exclaiming in agony. He was eventually helped off the court on a stretcher to the supportive applause from the Golden 1 crowd.
Joined by the Kings, the Warriors huddled on the court to pray for their fallen teammate. It was an incredibly moving sight to see for everyone in the arena and everyone at home:
After 5+ minutes, Patrick McCaw finally stretchered off the floor. Both teams came together for a quick moment. pic.twitter.com/QeOSaaZhcf
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 1, 2018
McCaw has had an up-and-down season, recently coming back from missing four weeks with a left wrist fracture. He’s had multiple back issues this season, most recently suffering a lower back contusion last week.
He had only just started to find his rhythm again off the bench, averaging 7.6 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists the past five games. In the 56 games he played leading up to Saturday night in Sacramento, McCaw had averaged 4.0 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 40.6 percent shooting.
Next: 2017-18 Santa Cruz Warriors Exit Interview with Quinn Cook
The extent of McCaw’s injury is unknown at this point in time, but hopefully the injury isn’t too severe.
He’s currently being treated at the UC Davis Medical Center.