Klay Thompson had one of his red-hot stretches in the third quarter vs. Sacramento. (AP) The Golden State Warriors have famously not lost back-to-back regular season games since April 2015, a run that stood at an NBA-record 141 games heading into Wednesday’s home contest against the Sacramento Kings. While the Warriors’ three-straight losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers in June’s NBA Finals certainly tempers the enthusiasm over this streak, it’s hard to deny a record that has obliterated the previous high of 97 games in a row without back-to-back losses (set by the Utah Jazz in the late ’90s). Put simply, Golden State holds its focus over an 82-game season better than any team reasonably should.
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It looked for a time as if the streak would reach an end vs. Sacramento. Playing just two days after a sluggish blowout at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the Warriors shot just 4-of-18 from beyond the arc in the first half and stumbled into halftime down 50-47. Worse yet, do-everything forward Draymond Green was ejected with 35 seconds left in the second quarter for arguing a foul call. The deficit was minor, but circumstances suggested that the Warriors would have to show up in the second half to avoid that second loss in a row.

It turns out they only needed a single quarter to put it away. The Warriors obliterated the Kings in the third, out-scoring them 42-17 to turn a halftime toss-up into a 109-86 blowout with nearly a full quarter of garbage time. That’s Golden State’s best margin in a quarter this year, which isn’t surprising considering the game-winning stretch included a 22-0 run and a 31-6 finish to the period.

The numbers are staggering. The Warriors shot 14-of-20 from the field and 6-of-10 from beyond the arc, logged 12 assists against one turnover (on their way to a season-low eight for the game), and forced the Kings into six turnovers (including four steals). Like all the Warriors’ best runs, the overwhelming sensation was that they could get and make any shot they wanted. There were open and contested threes, looks at the rim, and beautiful alley-oops. It all worked.
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It helped that Klay Thompson experienced one of his lights-out hot streaks, too. The league’s reigning Three-Point Contest champion prepared to defend his title on Saturday with 17 points (5-of-6 FG, 4-of-5 3FG) in the third quarter alone. He finished with a game-high 35 to help offset a poor shooting night for Stephen Curry (4-of-14 FG). Kevin Durant also starred with 21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and four blocks.


With those shameful back-to-back losses averted, the Warriors can head into the break with overwhelming confidence. They will have four All-Stars and the West head coach in New Orleans, boast the league’s best record by a four-game margin over the San Antonio Spurs, and have seen the Cleveland Cavaliers struggle with injuries and off-court distractions just two months before the start of the postseason. The events of last spring should be enough of a reminder that no outcome is ever certain, but things certainly look good. That’s all a time can ask for right now.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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