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It was the best of times and the worst of times for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. With former Dubs assistant Mike Brown and his Sacramento Kings making the trip south to Chase Center, Stephen Curry and the Bay Area Bunch went full-on supernova — for the first 24 minutes, anyway. After that, well…
Led by Steph’s 28 first-half points, the Warriors entered the break with a jaw-dropping 89-71 advantage after connecting on 67.4% of their shot attempts and 10-of-18 from three-point range.
Despite the incredible start, though, Golden State ultimately limped to a measly five-point victory when the second unit stumbled once again and the starters, who were forced back into the game, struggled to get back into the swing of things.
Not only that — the Dubs also incurred an injury that could make head coach Steve Kerr’s quest to find a winning bench mix even tougher than it has been, should it linger.
Kerr Updates the Donte DiVincenzo Situation
With just over a minute left in the third period and the Kings owning possession, the Warriors’ D collapsed on Sacramento’s Richaun Holmes in the paint, prompting the pivot to kick the ball out to the three-point line. At that point, backup guard Donte DiVincenzo tried to close out on forward Trey Lyles, but he came up lame on the play.
Shortly thereafter, a limping DiVincenzo made his final exit from the court and, after the contest, Kerr was tasked with delivering a bit of bad news on the baller.
“Hamstring for Donte,” the Warriors play-caller confirmed during his media availability. “He won’t go to Phoenix and we’ll reevaluate for the road trip, or for Miami and then the road trip after that.”
If DiVincenzo is forced onto the shelf for an extended period of time, it could be a big-time loss for the Warriors, even with the team’s seemingly impressive depth. At the least, his absence loomed large over Sunday’s contest.
Added Kerr: “Donte’s injury kind of messed up the rotation a little bit and put a lot of pressure on [Jordan Poole] as a playmaker. And we had Klay [Thompson]’s minutes restriction, so we went to him to start the fourth to try to get a little more offense out there but I think the ball just stopped moving.”
DiVincenzo’s Early Run With the Warriors
As a result of his injury, DiVincenzo was limited to just 11 minutes of action against the Warriors’ Northern California rivals, during which he scored four points on 1-of-2 shooting while logging an assist and two turnovers.
And while that effort — as well as his performance against the Denver Nuggets on Friday — offered little to write home about, DiVincenzo’s new teammates were raving about him after his eight-point night against the LA Lakers to tip-off the new campaign.
Said Steph: “Donte is a very versatile player. He can do a lot of different things; he can guard, he can play with the ball in his hands and play-make… You can see he has range and he can space the floor that way, too. He’s a tough competitor, even from his college days.”
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Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Gives Troubling Update on Backup Guard