What we learned when Steph’s 26-year-old wasn’t enough in the stunning loss to the Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

BOX score

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors waited until Game 35 of the 2024-25 NBA season to finally face their Northern California rivals, only to lay an egg with a 129-99 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at Chase Center .

At no point in the loss did the Warriors hold a lead in a game in which the Kings were without star point guard De’Aaron Fox.

On the second night of a back-to-back game, the Warriors were their own worst enemy. Led by five turnovers from Draymond Green and four from Steph Curry, every Warriors starter had a turnover. Dennis Schröder was the only Warriors player who did not lose the ball multiple times.

Curry scored a game-high 26 points in 30 minutes and took just 12 shots. He made eight baskets, shot four of eight from deep and added seven rebounds but no assists.

Here are three takeaways from an ugly Warriors loss that fell for the first time in 2025.

Sales problems

When the Warriors first touched the ball, they immediately turned it over. That was the theme for the rest of the first quarter and much of the rest of the evening.

When the ball is in motion, the Warriors have always been and are very difficult to beat. If they’re not careful, a struggling Kings team can crush them. From the start, everything indicated that a sloppy offensive night was in store.

The Warriors had a total of eight turnovers in the first quarter alone and had a modest three assists. In return, the Kings scored 11 points fewer than the Warriors’ turnovers, helping them to a 15-point lead after the first 12 minutes. At the start of the second quarter, the ball finally started moving for the home team. But not for long.

With the help of two four-point plays from Curry and a three-pointer from the Greens, the Warriors cut the deficit to four points in the second quarter, allowing the Kings to go on an 11-0 run, including turnovers on two consecutive plays Golden State.

Before halftime, the Warriors had already given the ball away 13 times, scoring 20 Kings points. Their final turnover total was 22 giveaways for 34 Kings points. The Warriors had the same number of assists as turnovers.

The defense takes the night off

Whether on the play, from 3-point range or in transition, the Kings scored at will against the Warriors. The Warriors allowed 36 points in the first quarter and 39 in the second, leaving them behind by 24 points at halftime.

At halftime, with the ball traveling down the court too fast for Golden State’s defense to keep up, Sacramento shot 57.4 percent from the field and 47.7 percent on threes. The Kings had twice as many assists as the Warriors in the first two quarters – 18 to nine. They scored nine fast break points while the Warriors didn’t have a single one. Additionally, the Kings had 24 points compared to the Warriors’ 16.

This was the third time this season the Warriors have allowed 70 or more points in the first half, and they have lost all three games.

After halftime, the Kings scored 30 points in the third quarter and already had 105 points on the night, leading the Warriors by 30 points. The Kings finished the game with a shooting distribution of 51.7/44.2/90.9 and dominated the Warriors in every way.

Curry’s wasted night

After resting for the first night in a row, Curry was confident he could put a little more spring in his step. The wait was worth it when he broke out in the second quarter.

With Keon Ellis following Curry’s every move, the 36-year-old scored five points in the first quarter. In the second, he tripled that number. Curry scored 15 points on a perfect 4 of 4 shooting from the field in the second quarter alone, including all three of his 3-point attempts and all four of his free throws. Curry made two four-point games in the second quarter, marking the second game in his career in which he made multiple four-point games.

Curry now has three four-point games this season and 68 total in his career.

He scored at least 20 points in the first half for the seventh time this season. Still, the Warriors were completely wiped out.

The fact that coach Steve Kerr can give Curry a break throughout the fourth quarter is usually a positive. Not this time. Curry’s night was over after three quarters when the game was out of reach. The Warriors are now 10-8 when he scores 20 or more points this season.

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