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Title: Warriors vs Kings Game Recap 11/08/09 View count: 2230 Rating: 5.0 (3 ratings) Description: SACRAMENTO (NBA.com exclusive) -- It's the tale of two lottery picks in Northern California. On one side, there is No. 4 pick Tyreke Evans, who has been given the trust to guide Sacramento's offense and its youth movement. For No. 7 pick Stephen Curry, it's an attempt to find a rhythm in the erratic Golden State offense. Evans shined in the matchup of the rookie guards on Sunday night, as the Kings defeated the Warriors 120-107 in Sacramento. "We just don't want to go too overboard about a guy playing his seventh game, but sometimes we just drop our mouths at some of the plays he makes," head coach Paul Westphal said about Evans. "He is a very special player." Evans has stepped up in the absence of injured Kings star Kevin Martin, who is out with a fractured left wrist. Martin, who averaged 30.6 points per game in the team's first five games, will have surgery on Monday and is expected to miss eight weeks. Evans has led Sacramento in back-to-back wins now, with a strong follow-up to his career-high 32-point performance on Saturday night in Utah. With a big lead, Evans played limited minutes in the second half, and no minutes in the fourth quarter. The progress shown in the past two games is impressive, following a disappointing start to the season for Evans. The touted Memphis-product failed to score more than 10 points or record more than four assists in three of his first four games. "I came out struggling the first couple of games; people thought it was a fluke," Evans said. "I just had to bounce back, get in the rhythm, get the offense down pat, and once I did that, I pretty much stepped my game up." Early on, he never lost the trust of a coaching staff looking to develop one of the league's premier rookies. "I had the trust in the beginning, I just didn't know where I was going with it," Evans said. The formula for Curry is less simple, as the Davidson product looks to find a rhythm in Warriors Head Coach Don Nelson's system. Curry was 4 of 8 from the field, scoring nine points with six assists, but hasn't show signs of controlling a game for Golden State. Curry said the team is struggling to know what to expect on offense. "Our system is free-flowing which is good at times, but we have to continue to work at it to make it last for a whole game," Curry said. "[The Kings] have a different system and I think it's more slow paced and everyone know where to go. They have their reads in place." Curry was entirely ineffective early, providing a stat line of zeroes after the first quarter -- failing to attempt a single field goal or record an assist, but totaling three turnovers. After being removed midway through the first quarter, Curry didn't re-enter until 3:45 before halftime. He didn't start the second half and saw the majority of his minutes when Sacramento already had the game in hand. When asked if he has the trust of Nelson, Curry said he thinks he does. "He trusts everyone he puts on the floor, he wouldn't put you out on the court if he doesn't. It's up to us to jell it," Curry said. Another young player the Warriors hope will soon make an impact is Anthony Randolph. The second-year player was also inconsistent on Sunday night, misfiring on his first look from the field and hitting the right side of the backboard. Like Curry, Randolph never showed signs of finding a flow throughout the contest. For the Kings, it's the first time they have won consecutive games in just shy of a year, when they won three straights from Nov. 5-7 last season. Beno Udrih, who is also seeing an increased role since Martin's injury, has assisted Evans in the backcourt. Udrih started for Sacramento and finished with 20 points and six assists. Sacramento forward Donte Greene, who didn't see action in three of Sacramento first four games, is also benefiting from increased minutes. The second-year player from Syracuse has scored in double figures in each of the team's last two games. Greene provided highlight reel dunks for the home crowd, flashing brilliant athleticism in transition in his 17-point performance. He was 6 of 12 from the field with five rebounds in just less than 20 minutes. "Donte came off the bench and played like a real pro out there," Westphal said. "He got excited once or twice and tried to turn on the crowd with a little extra. We want to take the extra out of his game." The small Golden State lineup was outrebounded by Sacramento, 52-34. Tags: warriors, sacramento, kings, nba, recap, highlights, Author: NBARECAP |
