SACRAMENTO, Calif. _ Steve Kerr had already been ejected. Kevin Durant's offensive game was frigid cold. Steph Curry had just missed two crucial layups. So with the Golden State Warriors trailing by three with 2.5 seconds left in overtime in Sacramento, Mike Brown drew up a play for Draymond Green.
Or maybe he didn't. Maybe it was just poor Sacramento defense. But Green found himself wide open for 3 from the top of the key. But he bricked and the Kings held on: 109-106 over the Warriors.
Golden State is an NBA-best 43-8 this season. But they're now 0-3 in overtime.
The Warriors looked off most of the night. Their defense was a step slow and their offense a bit jagged.
The Kings led midway through the third quarter when Kevon Looney was called for a questionable rebounding foul. Green got called for a technical for arguing the call. Then Kerr went ballistic, taking out what seemed to be his frustration of the call and his team's play on the official. Kerr stormed the court, got tossed and then stormed to the locker room.
Immediately after the ejection, the Warriors came to life, drilling a barrage of 3s to retake the third quarter lead. The building, and teams, jolted to life. Steph Curry closed the third quarter with one of his eight 3s on the night, a deep rainbow.
Green, who earlier left the game after an awkward fall and right knee contusion, returned in the third quarter and keyed the Warriors spurt with his typically versatile defense and playmaking.
But Durant's rare struggles bogged the offense down. Durant didn't score for the game's first 21 minutes, finished 2-of-10 overall and missed all six of his 3s. He had an awkward second half possession in which he dribbled the clock down, couldn't find a window and then hot potato passed it to Green late in the clock, leading to an airball and turnover. Green and Durant had words.
The two teams went back and forth throughout the fourth. The Kings led by two late, but a nicely drawn up play by Brown got Green a game-tying dunk off a Curry bounce pass. DeMarcus Cousins and Klay Thompson traded missed jumpers and the game went to overtime.
In overtime, the Warriors faced the same issues they did in regulation: the defense and Durant struggled. Sacramento jumped out to a quick five-point lead and led by as many as seven. Durant, lethargic and disengaged from the offense, didn't take a shot in the game's final 10 minutes.
But a late Curry 3 and a Green transition dunk kept Golden State in it. Thompson missed an open 3 on the wing to tie it in the final minute and Curry missed a pair of late layups that would've given the Warriors the lead.
But through all the struggles, they had a chance to send it to double overtime in the closing seconds. But Green's wide open 3 clanged off the rim.
_Briante Weber didn't make his Warrior debut on Saturday night, but he did meet his new team at Saturday's shootaround. Curry pulled out his phone, sat next to Weber and watched the athletic point guard's dunking highlights on his iPhone.
"The putback was nasty," Curry said.
Kevin Durant talked about how he's been tracking Weber since his college days, when Durant's former teammate, Eric Maynor, would have VCU games on when they'd hang out.
Kerr said he's been watching tape of Weber for the past month as the front office was scouting possible guard additions to the roster. Kerr said he's heard Patrick Beverley comparisons.
"I've heard that name from our scouts, I've heard that name from other scouts," Kerr said. "Obviously that's a pretty good comparison. Patrick Beverley is a hell of a player. That's pretty high praise and it is the idea we're looking for. We like the defensive pressure and how he fits in with our team."
Weber just looked happy to be there, after picking a 10-day contract with the Warriors over standing offers from the Hornets and Heat.
"Steph, KD, Klay, Dray _ for a kid like me, it's like 'Wow!'" Weber said. "This is my 2K team. This is who I play with on the video game. It's going to take awhile for me to get used to, but I'll try not to be star-struck."
