SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At the Golden 1 Center, where Golden State’s 2023-24 season ended unceremoniously last April, the Warriors brought a new starting five to their second preseason game.
Absent from it, of course, was Klay Thompson, who went scoreless in the play-in loss before departing for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors want to play faster and shoot more 3-pointers, with more athleticism on the court and more defensive flexibility. They brought in three new veterans and want to play with more structure on offense. Many of the changes head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors want to implement stem with how last season fizzled.
“I don’t know if it was just that game, I just think the feeling of losing in the play-in and not even making the playoffs is a pretty bitter one,” Kerr said pregame. “But I think we definitely recognized our flaws last year and they were exposed in that game.”
Although the Warriors looked more equipped to handle Sacramento’s fast-paced style in the first half — when all the regulars played — Golden State headed into the second half down 68-66. They hit 15 of their 27 3s, with Buddy Hield (4-for-4), De’Anthony Melton (3-for-6) and Steph Curry (3-for-6) leading the long-range charge, but the Kings’ offense matched them by creating points in the paint.
Golden State kept shooting, and draining, 3-pointers as the game progressed. They hit 28 3-pointers in all, exceeding the regular-season franchise record of 27. Eight Warriors hit at least two 3-pointers, leading to a scorching 53.8% clip from behind the arc in a 122-112 victory; in a statistical anomaly, Golden State shot better from 3 than it did from the floor.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first preseason game on the mainland, with four remaining before the regular season.
New starters
In the Warriors’ first preseason game, in Hawaii, they started Steph Curry, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Looney replaced Jackson-Davis at center and Podziemski swapped in for Melton in the second one.
Melton played terrific next to Curry in the opener, but the offense seemed easier with Podziemski in the group Wednesday (maybe it was Sacramento’s defense, which is expected to be poor). Podziemski’s a more natural initiator and playmaker. On one play, Curry’s isolation went nowhere, but Podziemski ended up with the ball on the wing and fed Green inside for an easy bucket.
Podziemski also missed a pair of open 3-pointers that he’s going to need to hit to stay on the floor. With Green, Looney and Kuminga, spacing is at a premium.
Golden State subbed in Jackson-Davis for Looney after five minutes, but the main core of the starting unit tied the Kings, 18-18, in the first seven minutes of the game.
It’s a miniscule sample size, and a similar result to the preseason opener’s starting unit, but neither group has jumped off the page yet — merely held their own.
One note with starting Podziemski: without him coming off the bench, the second unit (Melton, Jackson-Davis, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Moses Moody) didn’t have a point guard. Staggering minutes in the regular season would fix that fairly easily, but the Warriors want to make sure both their first and second units are cohesive.
Podziemski (8 points, 8 assists in 23 minutes) left in the first half after getting hit in the face, but returned in the third quarter to lead the second unit as the point guard, driving and dishing while also running effective pick-and-rolls.
The preseason is all about experimenting with combinations, and Kerr’s next move just might be to slot Hield — who finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting — in the back court with Curry. That would maximize their 3-point shooting threat, with as close of a movement-shooting facsimile to Thompson as there is.
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Kings are going to cause matchup nightly issues
There are legitimate questions about how Sacramento’s new big three of De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis are going to fit. None of them are great outside shooters, and none of them are elite defenders, either.
But seeing them in action — before they even have time to strike a rhythm — made it pretty clear that they’re going to be scary on offense.
Just about every possession in the half court, either on a drive, backdoor cut or kick-out, the Kings generated an open look. DeRozan sank his first six field goals, including a corner 3, for 15 points in as many minutes. The speedy Fox engined the Kings in transition and Sabonis operated from the elbows.
DeRozan was effectively the power forward, guarding Green and getting defended by him most possessions. He’s going to be too quick for fours and too skilled for smaller defenders. But defenses will have to choose between guarding him and Keegan Murray, a promising stretch-four, with the
It’s a contact sport
In the second corner, just after Podziemski hit his first 3-pointer of the night, he got hit in the face on a Kings fast break and instantly headed to the tunnel. Warriors trainers followed him.
The game was played with a surprising level of physicality for a preseason bout. Sacramento center Alex Len fouled Green from behind after a broken play, to Green’s dismay. On the other end, Green set a hard screen to free Podziemski for a 3, then he hit his second 3-pointer of the night on the next possession.
Shortly thereafter, Kuminga fouled Domantas Sabonis at the rim, picking up his fourth in just 13 minutes.
With five minutes left in the half, the Golden 1 Center crowd was elated when Green argued an off-ball foul called on him against Sabonis.
Tempers never bubbled over, but this game — like Friday’s preseason rematch with the Kings — was a nice appetizer to what should be a tense Northern California matchup this year.