Sacramento Kings storm back from huge deficit for wild win over Golden State Warriors

Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee on Jan 23, 2025

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The Kings overcame an 18-point deficit to remain unbeaten at home under interim coach Doug Christie with a wild 123-117 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points to lead the Kings (23-20), who improved to 10-2 overall and 7-0 at home since Christie took the helm after Mike Brown was fired Dec. 27.

Andrew Wiggins scored 25 points for the Warriors (21-22), who have lost 19 of 28 after going 12-3 to start the season.

The Kings will be back in action Thursday when they visit the Denver Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back to open a six-game road trip.

Stat leaders

Domantas Sabonis posted his league-leading 38th double-double of the season with 26 points and 18 rebounds for the Kings. Malik Monk had 20 points and nine assists.

Buddy Hield scored 17 points for the Warriors, going 5 of 9 from 3-point range. Gui Santos came off the bench to score 16, making 4 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Injury news

The Warriors were missing Draymond Green (left calf strain), Jonathan Kuminga (right ankle sprain), Brandin Podziemski (right abdominal injury management) and Kyle Anderson (left gluteal bursitis). Gary Payton II was cleared to play after being listed as questionable due to illness.

Kuminga is tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. Green averages 8.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.1 blocks.

Halftime report

The Warriors dominated the opening half, going up by as many as 18 before carrying a 65-48 lead into the halftime break.

Golden State shot 48.9% from the field while holding Sacramento to 39.5%. The Warriors did most of their damage from the 3-point line, going 14 of 26 (.538) from beyond the arc.

Sabonis led the Kings with 14 points and nine rebounds. Curry and Wiggins scored 12 points apiece for the Warriors.

Second-half surge

DeRozan scored 17 points in the third quarter as the Kings outscored the Warriors 37-20 to tie the game. Sacramento shot 57.7% from the field while holding Golden State to 40%. The Kings forced eight turnovers in the third, resulting in a 13-0 advantage in points off turnovers.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle with both teams seizing momentum at times. The Warriors went up 113-109 on a 3-pointer by Wiggins with 4:03 remaining, but the Kings responded with a 10-0 run to take a 119-113 lead with 1:07 to go.

Up next

The Kings will start a six-game road trip when they face the Nuggets on the second night of a back-to-back Thursday at Ball Arena.

The Nuggets (27-16) have won three in a row and seven of their last eight behind Nikola Jokic. The three-time MVP is averaging 30.1 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting a career-high 47.1% from 3-point range.

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