The Good and Bad: Golden State Warriors drop Game 1 vs. Kings

Saturday’s primetime showcase featured the two most high-powered offenses in the NBA, and as expected, the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings produced an absolute barn-burner.

It was a valiant effort by Golden State, but Sacramento earned their first postseason victory in nearly 17 years on the heels of an electrifying 38-point performance by De’Aaron Fox.

Ahead of Game 2 on Monday night, let’s take a look at what went right and what went wrong for the Golden State Warriors in Game 1.

There was plenty of ‘good’ and plenty of ‘bad’ from the 126-123 loss, all of which can offer optimism or pessimism moving forward across what’s promising to be a tight series that goes six or seven games.

The Good:

Warriors lock up Domantas Sabonis

Domantas Sabonis is an incredibly tough player to scheme against, threatening as both an interior scorer and a playmaking hub on the perimeter. The Warriors were able to limit his offensive impact though, holding the All-Star center to an inefficient 12 points on 5-for-17 shooting from the field.

Sabonis makes a living out-muscling opposing bigs in the paint for baby hooks and turnarounds , so it was encouraging to watch Kevon Looney embrace the battle down low and force Sabonis into some tough shots. Looney was physical, but not overzealous, maintaining his base and contesting vertically without fouling.

When Sabonis held the ball at the top of the key, the Warriors sagged off, granting him the freedom to fire at will. When he indulged, he usually missed, and when he ate up the space with his dribble, he was walled off almost immediately by a sea of white.

While Golden State certainly won’t have the same level of success against Sabonis every game, Game 1 was an indication that they have the means to slow the big man down.

Andrew Wiggins impresses in return

Andrew Wiggins made his long-awaited return to the Warriors’ lineup, and though the Warriors opted to bring him off the bench, he did not look like a player that missed 25 straight games. In fact, Wiggins looked fresh and his decision-making and defensive instincts were on point throughout the night. In 28 minutes of action, Wiggins tallied 17 points on 7-for-16 shooting, adding three rebounds, an assist, and four blocks.

Save for some shaky three-point shooting (1-for-8 to be exact), Wiggins looked like himself. On offense, he took what the defense gave him, knocking down some smooth midrange jumpers and cutting off-ball for high-percentage looks at the rim.

Defensively, Wiggins was everywhere, chasing shooters over screens and providing an extra layer of protection when the ball entered the paint. His ability to contain his man while offering help defense in precarious situations is what makes his presence so valuable, and the Warriors missed his aptitude on that end of the floor late in the season.

Wiggins will only get better as he continues to get his legs under him, and for him to play as well as he did after such an extended hiatus, is a great sign for the Dubs moving forward.

The Bad:

Point of Attack Defense proves worrisome

Simply put, the Warriors could not stay in front  De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. The pair of former Kentucky teammates combined for 70 points, carving up the Warriors’ perimeter defenders for easy jumpers in the midrange and continuous paint touches.

The Warriors did well to disrupt Sacramento’s motion offense, switching off-ball actions, fighting over the top of screens, and containing the Kings’ patented dribble handoffs. The Kings countered by putting the ball in the hands of their best creators, and well, they created.

Monk obliterated Jordan Poole in isolation, getting to the free-throw line 14 times, and effectively out-dueling him in their battle of the sixth-men. Fox took turns abusing Donte DiVincenzo and Klay Thompson, breaking them down off the dribble and getting to his spots for easy two-point looks.

Using his speed to his advantage is what makes Fox, in particular, such a tricky cover. As a defender, you don’t want to play him too aggressively because he’ll burn you with his explosive first step, but give Fox a little bit of space to work with, and he is more than content to beat you from the midrange. The Warriors will have to find ways to limit the Kings’ ability to get downhill and collapse the defense if they want to contain the Kings’ backcourt.

Kings dominate the offensive glass

While the Warriors did an excellent job of frustrating Sabonis offensively, they had little success keeping him off of the glass. Sabonis hauled in 16 rebounds, including five offensive as the Kings pulled down 17 offensive boards compared to the Warriors’ nine.

Sabonis led the entire NBA in rebounding, averaging 12.3 a game, and this undersized iteration of the Warriors is ill-equipped to offer much resistance. They will have to crash the glass as a team in order to close defensive possessions.

If Golden State is going to win this series, they will have to do a better job of keeping the Kings off the offensive boards. The Warriors cannot consistently gift the best offense in the NBA second-chance opportunities, because the Kings will make them pay for it.

Steve Kerr’s questionable rotations

When Stephen Curry went to the bench with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter, the Warriors held an eight-point lead. When he returned, Golden State was down by four. Steve Kerr’s rotations have been a talking point amongst Warrior fans all season, and his decision to bench Curry and Draymond Green at the end of the third absolutely killed the Warriors’ momentum – full stop.

When Green and Curry hit the bench, the Warriors offense drifted into stagnation. Possessions ended in ill-advised jumpers, leading to long rebounds and transition opportunities for Sacramento. The Kings went on a 15-4 run to close the quarter and Golden State never fully recovered.

It’s unclear whether Kerr will tweak anyone’s minutes as the series progresses, but it may benefit the Warriors to consider closing quarters with either Green or Curry on the floor.