Stephen Curry scored at least 30 points for the 13th time in 14 games, but he had just four free throws in the fourth quarter as the Warriors held off the Sacramento Kings 117-113 on Sunday night at the Chase Center.
The Warriors overcame a clutch performance by Kings rookie Tyrese Haliburton, who scored 15 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors led 114-113 after a layup by Haliburton when Curry’s pass against pressure in the backcourt was intercepted by Buddy Hield. But Hield lost the ball out of bounds while driving toward the basket with 13 seconds left.
The Kings fouled Curry with 9.2 seconds left and he promptly missed the first free throw — his third miss of the night. The 92% foul shooter converted the second for a 115-113 lead.
Former Warrior Harrison Barnes missed a 3-point try against tight defense from Andrew Wiggins with 0.7 seconds left and Curry made two free throws to lock up the win.
Curry wound up with 37 points, shooting 7-for-14 from 3-point distance. He also had seven turnovers.
Kelly Oubre Jr. added 19 points for the Warriors (31-30), who earned their eighth win in 11 games.
It was nearly a missed opportunity for the Warriors against a Sacramento team playing without top scorer De’Aaron Fox. A month after Fox lit up Golden State for a career-high 44 points, he was sidelined Sunday by the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
Hield scored 25 points for the Kings as he shot 6-for-8 on 3-pointers and Barnes had 23.
The Warriors led by as many as six points late in the third quarter but the Kings closed to 94-92 before the period ended. Sacramento then surged ahead with a 3-pointer by Haliburton that capped a 17-4 run that pushed the visitors into a 104-98 lead with 8:05 to play.
Wiggins and Oubre answered with layups for the Warriors, cutting the margin to two points, and coach Steve Kerr put Curry and Green back into the game with 7:19 left.
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