Pair of turnovers lead to Warriors’ heartbreaker against Sacramento Kings

SACRAMENTO — Two turnovers in the game’s final 44 seconds cost the Warriors a win in Sacramento on Tuesday night. The Warriors lost 124-123 to the Kings on Malik Monk’s fadeaway banked jumpshot, squandering a 24-point lead they held in the first half. With that, the Kings won Group C of the in-season tournament.

The Warriors had a four-point lead with 44 second remaining. But Steph Curry was picked off by Monk, who hit a 3-pointer. The next possession, Draymond Green passed a ball out of bounds that led to Monk’s game winner. The Warriors had 18 turnovers.

Until the second half, it was plausible that the Warriors could win Group C of the in-season tournament. The Minnesota Timberwolves’ win over the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier in the night ensured that the Warriors would have to beat the Kings by at least 12 points to win Group C and advance in the in-season tournament. That all went out the window as the Warriors committed 31 personal fouls and the Kings took 42 free throws.

The Warriors’ 72 points in the first half were tied for their most scored in a half this season — they scored 72 against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 3. More important to their cause was the 17-point lead they took into the half, their largest halftime lead of the year. Fouls dictated the third quarter with the Warriors fouling 11 times and the Kings climbing back into the game with a nine-point deficit.

Chris Paul left the game late in the first quarter with lower leg soreness and did not play the rest of the night. At the end of the third quarter, Gary Payton II limped off the court to the locker room favoring his right leg, he didn’t return.

Next up, the Warriors play the Los Angeles Clippers twice, first at home on Thursday and then on the road on Saturday.