Steph-less Warriors run out of steam in loss to Sacramento Kings

SACRAMENTO Stephen Curry participated in the pregame huddle via Facetime a bespectacled Draymond Green took on the role of coach in a navy blue sweatsuit and Jimmy Butler was nowhere to be determined Wednesday night inside the Golden Center Without their three biggest stars two of whom did not make the short trip up I- the Warriors ran out of steam against a Sacramento Kings club also playing at less than full strength Golden State raced out to a double-digit lead before halftime but watched it slip away in a - loss Will Richard and Moses Moody each scored points and Jonathan Kuminga added but that was no match for Russell Westbrook s triple-double points rebounds assists and five other Kings who finished in double figures Richard a second-round draft pick making his first career start combined with Kuminga to outcome all but two of the Warriors first points as Golden State raced ahead to a - advantage at the end of the first quarter Both players were already deep into double figures by halftime helping Golden State to a - lead at intermission Moody picked up the slack after halftime scoring of his points in the second half including a late -pointer followed by a -point play that pulled Golden State within - The Warriors had possession down - with under a minute left when Kuminga beat his defender down low But he was unable to finish the play Sacramento secured the rebound and sank a pair of free throws to clinch the win Drew Eubanks gave the Kings a - lead minutes into the first quarter and Sacramento didn t lead again until Kuminga sent Nique Clifford to the foul line early in the third quarter allowing the Kings to briefly pull ahead - Golden State s lead was as large as points in the first half Related Articles Warriors without Curry Butler and Green for their matchup vs Kings Steph Curry fights through illness vs Suns to sit out at Kings Warriors Kerr explains why he reluctantly supports Prop Warriors instant analysis Without Butler in second half Golden State holds off Suns rally As rest of NBA plays at breakneck speed Warriors look to pace stars It didn t take long for the Kings to flip the tally after halftime as the Warriors allowed them to get to the line times in the third quarter alone while shooting -for- from the field Meanwhile Golden State s offense went cold connecting on one shot from the field over the final and got sloppy coughing the ball up eight times in the period to fall behind - Three of the third-quarter fouls were administered to Kuminga and he picked up his fifth personal with to play forcing one of the Warriors inadequate reliable scoring options to the bench with them trailing - Golden State shot from the field in the first half - from but was limited to - from after halftime The competition marked the first time this season the Warriors were without any of Curry illness Butler low back or Green ribs In their place they started the least experienced lineup the organization has rolled out since April two years before Kerr joined the Warriors That lineup featuring a rookie Klay Thompson was the last time all five players in the Warriors starting five had less than four years of NBA experience