Warriors Victory Over Kings Shows Two Teams Heading in Opposite Directions

The Battle for Northern California appears to once again be a lopsided affair.

While the Kings and Warriors have both hung around the same spot in the Western Conference standings this season, their contest on Thursday night showed just how far apart they truly are.

The Kings, still without star center Domantas Sabonis, are rapidly falling apart

They haven’t been able to right the ship after trading away De’Aaron Fox, and that issue only seems to be getting worse as the games go on.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

In contrast, the Warriors are cruising. The team has seemed unstoppable since acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Heat, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Everyone has found their groove, which has allowed the squad to reach the sixth seed with little trouble. They’ve won nine of their last ten, and are 10-2 since Butler joined up.

A One-Sided Contest

Sacramento has largely held their own since losing Fox. Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan both continue to lead, while the bench has stepped up to win tough games here and there.

Still, their recent game against the Warriors showed the gaps in their roster

Golden State exploded out of the gate, getting to a 12 point lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Kings cut it to 10 at the half, but the Warriors responded by out-scoring Sacramento 71-53 in the second half on their way to a 130-104 win. The game was never particularly close.

There were several reasons for that disparity, but the biggest being that the Warriors are simply a deeper team

The Kings stars showed up. DeRozan led the way with 24, Keon Ellis netted 18, and Zach LaVine dropped in 14. Still, without Sabonis that’s where the production ended.

The rest of the team struggled tremendously

Nobody else could give any consistent production, nor did they do much in terms of assists or rebounds. That is where the Warriors had the advantage, and it’s where they won the game.

On a night where Curry wasn’t his usual self (scoring just 11 points and throwing five assists), the Warriors still found ways to score.

Draymond Green had 23, Moses Moody had 17, Buddy Hield had 16, while Jonathan Kuminga in his first game back from injury put up 18.

Trending Up (and Down)

The Warriors stats, as well as their easy victory over what could well be a playoff team, showed the importance of a deep roster.

They aren’t just getting strong production out of everyone, they’re getting big games.

Butler and Curry have led the way since teaming up

The win over the Kings, however, shows that they don’t always need to have big games. The two combined for 17 points, and the Warriors still won by 26.

That’s a key difference between Golden State and Sacramento. The Kings have playmakers and some big names.

That’s enough to win games here and there, but it doesn’t lead to the Warriors’ consistency.

That’s why Golden State has climbed up the standings so rapidly, while the Kings continue to fight for a chance at the play-in game. They are simply too top-heavy right now.

The Warriors, in contrast, have found a way to both lean on and support their stars

Butler, in particular, is setting a great example. He doesn’t need to be the focal point. He’s more than willing to take a back seat if that means coming out on top.

“When I walked in [to the Warriors], I was like, ‘yo, look man, I’m only here to win,” Butler said in an interview. “I don’t care about nothing else. I don’t care about points.

I don’t care about shots. I don’t care about none of that. I’m only here to win and I’ve always only been places to win. So, whatever ya’ll need me to do, ya’ll let me know.”

A Team on the Brink

If the season were to end today, the Kings would enter the postseason as the ninth seed. That’s not terrible. However, they are just 5-5 in their last 10 games.

The up-and-down playstyle is causing many issues for the team, and they are in danger of missing the playoffs entirely.

Sabonis might be the spark they need to get things going again, but it’s far too early to tell if his return will turn things around.

Sacramento has a tough schedule coming up, and even one bad run could easily cause their season to end

On the other side of the spectrum, the Warriors are playing like one of the best teams in basketball. Butler has given the team a jolt of energy and completely renewed Curry’s playstyle.

Everyone is on the same page, and they’ve finally found a rotation they like. That type of play makes all the difference.

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