Devin Carter has exacted revenge on the Golden State Warriors after the franchise passed up a trade that would have included the young guard last offseason, helping the Sacramento Kings to a rare 124-118 victory on Friday night.
Carter had a career night at Golden 1 Center, but the result meant very little in the grand scheme for both teams as the Warriors focused their attention on preparing themselves for next week's Play-In Tournament, having already been locked in as the 10th-seed in the Western Conference.
Devin Carter has career night against team that passed him up
The Kings had offered Carter as part of a sign-and-trade package for Jonathan Kuminga last offseason, but the Warriors quickly rejected the offer, re-signed the young forward, then eventually traded him for Kristaps Porzingis before this February's deadline.
Carter had 29 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block in nearly 35 minutes, with the former 13th overall pick shooting an efficient 11-of-18 from the floor and 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
Golden State used the outing to try and build chemistry ahead of the Play-In Tournament, with Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Gui Santos and Will Richard all returning following Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Steve Kerr was still conservative with minutes for his key players, resting them down the stretch rather than chase a win that wouldn't have mattered to the final standings. Brandin Podziemski was the one starter that did get big minutes in the fourth, leading the third-year guard to recording a career-high 30 points.
Podziemski had 14 points in the final period, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor for the game and 3-of-8 from 3-point range. The 23-year-old went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, going 1-of-2 in the final seconds to reach the elusive 30-point mark.
Al Horford returns to Warriors after 13-game absence
Horford hadn't played since departing the March 13 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the veteran center getting through unscathed in going for 10 points and two assists off the bench in less than 18 minutes.
Porzingis was also back after a two-game absence, but struggled in shooting just 4-of-12 from the floor for 11 points and seven rebounds in less than 26 minutes. Curry battled though an early injury concern, yet only had 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting in 27 minutes.
The Warriors will face the L.A. Clippers in their regular season finale on Sunday, before the two teams will likely meet again in the 9 vs. 10 Play-In game next Wednesday.