Mike Brown’s defensive strategy continues Golden State Warriors’ hoodoo

A long-time assistant with the Golden State Warriors, Mike Brown’s intimate knowledge bore fruit as the Sacramento Kings continued the Warriors’ road hoodoo in a 122-115 win on Sunday night.

The two teams played out their third close contest of the season, but this time Brown’s defensive strategy on Stephen Curry proved enough to hand Golden State their seventh straight road loss to open the season.

Mike Brown and the Sacramento Kings limited Stephen Curry’s shot attempts, with his teammates unable to capitalise in the Golden State Warriors’ seven-point loss.

Curry had 13 points in the opening period, none of which came from three-point range. The obvious threat of his shooting, and his ability to subsequently drive to the rim and finish through traffic, has been an underrated aspect that continues to improve as he nears 35 years of age.

Golden State’s 39 first-quarter points was one of their most impressive periods of the season, particularly offensively as everything but some unfortunate turnovers seemed to be working. Their defense was also continuing at a high-level, keeping the Kings to 26 points to hold a 13-point lead.

Curry and the Warriors slowed down though during the second quarter, unaided by a rapidly rising turnover count. The same couldn’t be said for Malik Monk whose liking for the Warriors continued in the first half. He had 12 points as the Kings screamed back and turned the tables, winning the period 38-23 to take a two-point lead at half time.

Golden State’s patented third-quarter run seems to have deserted them this season, and a lack of sustained momentum and killer instinct was again evident. Klay Thompson hit back-to-back threes early in the third, skipping his way back to the bench as Brown had to call timeout with the Warriors up six. But Sacramento would come out and land a punch of their own immediately after, going on a quick 10-2 run to re-establish their lead.

The teams traded baskets before a Keegan Murray triple gave the Kings a seven-point lead to close the third. To be fair, Golden State again put themselves in position to allow Curry another opportunity to lead them to victory.

It looked like that may be the case as they went up 113-110 with four minutes to play. That’s where the offense ended though, with Brown determined to keep the ball out of Curry’s hands and force his teammates to win the game. Missed jumper after missed jumper meant the Warriors scored just two points in the final minutes, with Curry understandably helpless against constant trapping and double-teams.

On the other end, Domantas Sabonis (26 points, 22 rebounds and eight assists) proved a menace on the inside, while De’Aaron Fox (22 points and eight assists) hit a couple of timely jumpshots of his own. Sacramento finished on a 12-2 run to seal the Warriors’ fate and an incredibly concerning 5-8 record.

After averaging 23 shot attempts over his last three games, Curry was held to just 17 by a well-designed Kings scheme. Although Andrew Wiggins (26 points) and Klay Thompson (17 points) had their moments throughout the game, they were ultimately unable to produce when it mattered most.

The Warriors head home to face the San Antonio Spurs for the second night of a back-to-back, with no word yet on the status of their experienced core in what projects as another must-win game.