3 takeaways as Warriors drop 3s over Kings in preseason action – The Mercury News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – At the Golden 1 Center, where Golden State's 2023-24 season unceremoniously ended last April, the Warriors brought in a new starting lineup for their second preseason game.

Of course, missing was Klay Thompson, who went scoreless in the play-in loss before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

The Warriors want to play faster and shoot more threes, with more athleticism on the court and more flexibility on defense. They brought in three new veterans and want to play more structured offensively. Many of the changes head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors are looking to implement stem from how last season went.

“I don’t know if it was just that game, I just think the feeling of losing in the play-in and not even making the playoffs is pretty bitter,” Kerr said before the game. “But I think we definitely recognized our weaknesses last year and they were exposed in this game.”

Although the Warriors appeared better equipped for Sacramento's fast-paced style in the first half – when all starters were playing – Golden State entered the second half trailing 68-66. They made 15 of their 27 three-pointers with Buddy Hield (4 of 4), De'Anthony Melton (3 of 6) and Steph Curry (3 of 6) leading the long-range attack, but the Kings' offense matched them by scoring points created in color.

Golden State repeatedly shot 3-pointers throughout the game. They made a total of 28 3-pointers, surpassing the regular season franchise record of 27. Eight Warriors made at least two 3-pointers, leading to a 122-112 victory from behind the arc with a shooting percentage of 53, 8% led; In a statistical anomaly, Golden State shot better from three balls than from the floor.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors' first preseason game on the mainland, with four remaining before the regular season.

New starters

In the Warriors' first preseason game in Hawaii, they started Steph Curry, Draymond Green, De'Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Looney replaced Jackson-Davis at center and Podziemski subbed in for Melton in the second.

Melton played great alongside Curry in the opener, but the offense seemed easier on Wednesday with Podziemski in the fold (perhaps it was Sacramento's defense, which is expected to be poor). Podziemski is a more natural initiator and playmaker. On one play, Curry's isolation went nowhere, but Podziemski landed the ball on the wing and pushed Green inside for an easy basket.

Podziemski also missed two open 3-pointers that he needs to hit to stay on the floor. With Green, Looney and Kuminga, spacing is very important.

Golden State subbed Jackson-Davis for Looney after five minutes, but the core of the starting unit tied the Kings 18-18 in the first seven minutes of the game.

It's a tiny sample size and a similar result to the preseason starting unit, but neither group has managed to stand out from the pack so far – they've just held their ground.

A note about Podziemski starting: Without him coming off the bench, the second unit (Melton, Jackson-Davis, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Moses Moody) didn't have a point guard. Splashing minutes in the regular season would fix that pretty easily, but the Warriors want to make sure both their first and second units are cohesive.

Podziemski (8 points, 8 assists in 23 minutes) left the first half after being hit in the face, but returned in the third quarter to lead the second unit at point guard. Roll.

The preseason is all about experimenting with combinations, and Kerr's next move could be to put Hield — who scored a game-high 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting — in the backcourt along with Curry. This would maximize their three-point shooting threat and be as close to a moving shot facsimile from Thompson as possible.