On February 22, Beijing time, the 2024-25 NBA regular season is underway, the Warriors defeated the Kings 132-106, the Warriors ushered in two consecutive wins, and at the same time, the Warriors also ended their five-game losing streak against the Kings.

Statistics

Warriors: Curry 20 points and 6 assists, Butler 17 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals, Moody 22 points, Draymond Green 6 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 blocks, Podzemski 21 points, Hield 22 points

Kings: LaVine 13 points and 5 rebounds, Sabonis 14 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists, DeRozan 34 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, Keegan Murray 13 points

Background

Since acquiring Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Heat, the Warriors have a 3-1 record. Butler averaged 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in those four games. Butler's influence on the Warriors was most evident at the free-throw line, where he made 34 of 40 free throws. The Warriors are averaging 27.5 free throws per game in their last four games, compared to just 20.4 in their first 51 games. It is worth mentioning that in the first two games of the season against the Kings, the Warriors lost all of them. According to statistics, the Warriors are currently on a five-game losing streak against the Kings.

The Kings are hoping for Zach LaVine to do the same as Butler, a two-time All-Star who has helped the Kings win three of their last four games, averaging 23.5 points and 6.5 assists per game. It's worth mentioning that the Kings have averaged 126.0 points in their last four games, and before that they had been limited to 116 points or less in six consecutive games.

Game recap

In the first half, the Warriors continued to play an all-small lineup, and under the instigation of Curry and Dream Chasing, they played a 10-6 start. DeRozan scored three goals in a row, and directed a wave of 13-4 counterattack climax, helping the Kings to take a 19-14 lead. Hield scored seven straight points after the game, and the Warriors regained a three-point advantage. After the Kings hit a two-minute shot, LaVine broke the scoring drought with a three-pointer, but then the team's offense fell into a quagmire again. At the end of the first quarter, the Kings trailed the Warriors 28-31. As the game progressed, the Warriors' role players came full fire, with Moody, Post and Podzemski combining for five three-pointers to extend the Warriors' advantage to 17 points. The Kings were still unable to get on the court after returning from a timeout, and the Warriors continued to attack, rewriting the score to 60-40 with a 7-2 mini-surge. Although the Kings then had a performance, the Kings trailed the Warriors 53-68 at the end of the first half. In addition, the Warriors dished out 23 assists in the first half, compared to 11 for the Kings.

In the second half, the Kings came up with a 12-5 counterattack to chase the score to 65-73. Podzemski's 2+1 helped the Warriors stabilize their morale, Butler and Curry also made contributions, and Moody scored two goals in a row, including a 3+1. At 6:1, Curry hit a three-pointer with Hield's assistance, and the Warriors regained a 20-point advantage. The Kings didn't give up, and made consecutive free throws to narrow the difference, but at the end of the third quarter, the Kings still trailed 83-100. In the final quarter, the Warriors were still surging and did not give the Kings a chance to reverse the game.

Both sides start

Warriors: Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody, Draymond Green, Blandin Podzemski

Kings: Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, Malik Munch