The Sacramento Kings put up a valiant effort against the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors. Kings head coach Dave Joerger knew that Golden State's experience got the better of his squad when it mattered most.
“They just got us with their experience at the end,” Kings coach Dave Joerger said to the Associated Press. “We struggled to finish some shots once a lot of their switching happened. They made some plays but we made some mistakes and they made us pay.”
Sacramento held a 10-point lead with about three minutes left to play. That should be a safe lead on most nights, but the Warriors are not an average team. Golden State finished the game on a 17-2 run and their experience was the determining factor down the stretch.
Joerger's young squad can use this as a learning experience. In fact, the Kings don't have much experience when it comes to these situations. Sacramento is one of the early-season surprises in the Western Conference. This loss drops the Kings to 15-13 on the season, but they remain a half game behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth seed in the West.
The flurry of buckets from Kevin Durant and company took Sacramento by surprise. The young Kings are still learning how to close games. Moral victories are usually hollow in the NBA, but this is a loss that should help Sacramento in the long run. Joerger and his staff will take a close look at the fourth quarter and try to ensure that this type of collapse doesn't happen again.
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