Dub Hub: Steve Kerr explains decision to sub out Moses Moody in loss vs. Kings

Rounding up all Warriors and NBA related news for Wednesday, November 29th.

Warriors News:

Steve Kerr on Moses Moody: “We thought about keeping him out there, but we made the move that we made”

Chris Paul, Gary Payton II exit Warriors’ loss with injuries | ESPN

Paul first exited the game with 19 seconds left in the first quarter and did not return. It’s unclear when Paul suffered the injury.

The 19-year veteran finished with three points and two steals in five minutes in the crucial in-season tournament game for Golden State.

In the second half, with 49 seconds left in the third quarter, Golden State’s Gary Payton II suffered an injury. The Warriors immediately called a timeout to replace him, and he hobbled to the locker room after the whistle. Payton was later ruled out for the rest of the game because of a right calf injury.

Steph Curry reacts to Tuesday’s 124-123 loss to the Kings

Kawakami: Klay Thompson’s edgy moment and the Warriors’ dynastic fighting soul | The Athletic

That officially was the first time I’ve ever been Next Question’d by Klay, which probably was the most amusing thing in this whole situation, like President Klay was waving me off to answer something from a less-annoying member of the White House press corps. Yes, I really do have that image in my head now, and it might take some time for it to go away.

But the urgency of Klay’s response, I believe, actually underlined the thought I had coming into this column and the reason I asked Klay that question: The Warriors have to stick with their Dynasty Guys, they almost certainly will get better play out of Wiggins and Klay the rest of this season, and it’s to the credit of Kerr, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Wiggins, Klay and the entire organization that they’ve built this thing sturdily enough to get through these kinds of slumps.

Update for the Warriors’ upcoming schedule

NBA News:

The Quarterfinal Knockout Round for the In-Season Tournament is now set

‘Integrity’ questioned with in-season tourney’s point-differential tiebreaker | ESPN

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said he also wasn’t comfortable running up the score and said as much to Bulls counterpart Billy Donovan during a lengthy discussion they had during a stoppage in play in the final quarter.

Donovan said he was particularly upset with the Celtics’ decision to repeatedly foul Andre Drummond in the fourth quarter to send him to the foul line, where he made 1 of 6 free throws.

“But I also understand the situation he’s in, too. He’s got to coach his team and do what’s right, but I think it was putting Andre in a tough spot down 30 points,” Donovan said. ‘’But this is from the league. This is what the league has done, making this point-differential thing.’’

Who is Miriam Adelson, the casino billionaire buying the Dallas Mavericks from Mark Cuban? | The Athletic

Adelson’s success in real estate development and the prospect for arena development, as well as launching casino gaming and entertainment in Dallas were appealing factors in Cuban’s decision to sell, league sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Cuban said last year that he was going to partner with Sands on a casino and resort in Dallas that would also include a home for the Mavericks, according to the Dallas Morning News.

An expansion of betting in Texas would require significant changes in a state that does not have commercial casinos and does not have legalized sports betting, and instead has two Native American casinos.

“My goal, and we’d partner with Las Vegas Sands, is when we build a new arena it’ll be in the middle of a resort and casino,” Cuban told The Dallas Morning News last year. “That’s the mission.”

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Player grades: Warriors vs. Kings

Draymond Green

33 minutes, 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls, 3-for-8 shooting, 2-for-4 threes, 50.0% TS, +5

The Warriors have been a significantly better team this year when Green plays, and for the first half of his return from a five-game suspension, that was on full display. But as the game started to become shaky, so too did Dray.

His four turnovers were remarkably costly, including a poor pass with under 30 seconds remaining that led to the Kings’ go-ahead bucket.

He had some untimely fouls and another technical foul, which seemed very weak ... but then again, one never knows what might have been said.

Green being back is a very good thing, but that was only sporadically true on Tuesday.

Grade: C

Can Kings coach motivate players the same way while playing Warriors?

Perhaps the best comparison is to Sacramento’s number one enemy, Draymond Green, who returns from a five-game suspension for the big game. Winning the $500K would allow them to pay 22% of Green’s career fines, not including whatever undisclosed fine he received after punching Jordan Poole last year.

Unfortunately for Brown, coming off a suspension that cost him $769,704 in lost earnings may make Green the most motivated player in Tuesday’s game. The Kings can talk about wine or Oklahoma housing all they want, but that doesn’t compare to Green’s desire to see the league give back a big chunk of the money they’ve taken from him over the years. And the he can celebrate with dinner at Saison.

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