Getty Kevon Looney of the Golden State Warriors.
Kevon Looney made a huge impact in the Golden State Warriors‘ Game 3 win over the Sacramento Kings. The big man pulled in a game-high 20 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive glass. Those offensive boards helped Looney amass nine assists and the Warriors score a healthy number of second-chance points.
Following Golden State’s 114-97 win, Stephen Curry had big-time praise for the former UCLA standout and his inspired performance in the pivotal game.
“He’s relentless,” Curry said. “Like you say, I don’t know what that probably feels like. But it’s the way you see the ball, angles, your effort, knowing that it’s going to be physical and you’re going to get knocked around and be able to take all of that physicality. Then he has to guard a tough matchup on the other side. He knows how to be effective when he’s out there. He’s shown it plenty of times before. Nine offensive rebounds is huge for us, giving us extra possessions. We were getting pretty solid looks for the most of the game, just weren’t hitting a lot of them, but he was getting us extra possessions and that get’s the crowd into it, gets momentum on our side, and it’s amazing to watch.”
Curry also played a huge part in the bounce-back victory on April 20. The 35-year-old totaled 36 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists while shooting 12-of-25 from the field and 6-of-12 from deep.
Kevon Looney Felt Like Steph Curry in Warriors Win
It was, of course, a podium game for Looney after his monster effort against the Kings. When asked about his huge impact in the rebounding battle, he compared “the zone” he got in, to that of Curry when he gets hot from beyond the arc.
“As a rebounder, you can get in a zone,” Looney told reporters after the game. “Just how Steph and them 3-point shooters get in a zone. As a rebounder, I feel the same way.”
Steve Kerr Shouts Out Kevon Looney After Warriors Top Kings
Some of Looney’s impact didn’t show up in the box score. One of his primary missions against Sacramento was to slow down Domantas Sabonis while Draymond Green is suspended.
Head coach Steve Kerr praised the big man for being able to hold his ground against the Kings’ All-Star center.
“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 told reporters. “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.”