Following a flurry of ball and player movement at Chase Center, the Golden State Warriors and their several lineups exchanged baskets on Thursday, with the ball nearly always finding its way to the open man.

The Sacramento Kings, who were superior to their Northern California competitors, also benefited from it. 

The Warriors lost the opening game of the second half 134-133, dropping four games below.500 (19-23) as they were unable to stay up with their regional rivals.

For the Warriors, big Jonathan Kuminga added a career-high 31 points, and Stephen Curry scored 18 of his team-high 33 points in the first quarter. 

However, point guard De’Aaron Fox contributed 29 points, and former Warriors wing Harrison Barnes, now a member of the Kings, drained seven 3-pointers for a career-high 39 points. 

With 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, big man Domantas Sabonis dominated the paint and the high post for Sacramento (25–18).

Curry had a chance to seal the victory with fifteen seconds remaining after Kings player Kevin Huerter missed two crucial free shots. However, the Warriors were unable to even attempt a shot before a well-timed double team forced an incorrect dribble, allowing the last seconds to pass. 

Golden State’s defensive rating of 117.5, which ranks 24th out of the 30 NBA teams, will decrease as a result of the performance. This is partly due to the team’s aging roster, which lacks a traditional center who can guard the rim.

Kuminga scored more than 20 points for the fifth straight game while Curry withdrew following an impressive first quarter. He attacked Sacramento’s smaller defenders once more, adding a few 3-pointers to a subsequent interior onslaught.

However, Sacramento is a wild transition team that presses the pace in response to Golden State’s plays and misses the same. Trey Lyles, Huerter, and Davion Mitchell combined for eight 3-pointers when Barnes wasn’t helping out.

With 47.1 seconds remaining, Kuminga’s consecutive dunks gave the Warriors a 133-132 lead after the teams traded baskets for much of the frantic fourth quarter. 

The next possession, the Kings replied with a clean out-of-bounds play that set up Sabonis for the game-winning dunk, ahead of Curry’s careless mistake.