Getty Kevon Looney of the Golden State Warriors.
With their backs against the wall on Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors had the odds stacked against them. Lose, and they would go down 3-0 in their series against the Sacramento Kings – a feat no team has come back from. Yet they were without Draymond Green, as he was suspended for his altercation with Domantas Sabonis in Game 2.
Despite all of that, the Warriors persevere behind several inspiring performances. Stephen Curry exploded, and Andrew Wiggins played, too. But the highlight of the game was Kevon Looney. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr showed love to the Warriors big man.
“The way we’ve been playing, the two of them [Looney and Green] have been trading off on Sabonis after we start the first six minutes or so with both of them on the floor,” Kerr explained via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “In the first two games of the series, they were flip-flopping, but tonight, obviously, he took him most of the game. I thought JaMychal came in and did a really good job on him as well. But this is Loon. This is who he is. We’ve seen it in the playoffs for years now. He’s always locked in to the game plan. He never makes mistakes. He rebounds like crazy. He makes the right decision. The game is much simpler when Loon is out there for our guys.”
At every turn, Looney came up big for the Warriors. Sabonis led the NBA in rebounds this season, but in Game 3, it was Looney who dominated the glass, giving Golden State a serious advantage.
The big man finished the night with a game-high 20 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. He also added four points, nine assists, and one steal to his totals. Looney shot 2-of-6 from the field.
As for the other big-time Warriors performers, Curry led the team and game in scoring. He put up 36 points to go along with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. The superstar point guard shot 12-of-25 from the floor and 6-of-12 from behind the three-point line.
Wiggins also played well, scoring 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting overall and 3-of-6 shooting from deep, breaking his cold spell from beyond the arc. He also had seven rebounds and three assists.
Warriors’ Kevon Looney Defends Domantas Sabonis
After Green’s suspension, it was revealed that Golden State was very upset with the decision. And on top of that, they believed that Sabonis was playing dirty. However, according to Looney’s statement during practice, the Kings big man is just playing normally.
“I mean, as a big man, that’s what we do,” Looney said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think that’s pretty normal. The pushing, the shoving, the grabbing, that’s all part of protocol down there (in the paint)… Sometimes they call it, sometimes they don’t… I enjoy it.”
Warriors Mad at Domantas Sabonis
Looney’s comments followed reporting from Zach Lowe of ESPN that Golden State is upset with the current situation involving Green and Sabonis.
“There is some anger within the organization toward the league,” Lowe said on the April 19 edition of “The Lowe Post” podcast. “There’s a sense in the organization that Sabonis is shoving people on offensive rebounds and playing with his elbows out and using the ball as a weapon on offense.”
