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What we learned when the Dubs beat the Kings in the California Classic final Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
SAN FRANCISCO – Brandin Podziemski made one of two free throws with five seconds left, helping the Golden State Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 91-90 in the final game of the California Classic on Wednesday.
Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis were clearly the most polished players on the court in their first game at Chase Center since the end of last season.
Podziemski, a member of the 2023-24 All-Rookie First Team, bounced back from a rough shooting night (4-of-13) to score 15 points with four assists. Jackson-Davis, Another key piece of the Warriors’ young core, added 11 points and six rebounds.
It wasn’t all pretty for the duo. On two occasions, Podziemski tried soft passes inside to Jackson-Davis, but failed to connect.
Kevin Knox II added a team-high 21 points while Ethan Thompson scored 13 to help the Warriors capture the inaugural Mitch Richmond Trophy. The trophy is named for the Hall of Famer who played for both franchises during his NBA career.
Keon Ellis scored 30 points for the Kings, who split their four regular-season games against Golden State during the 2023-24 season before finishing the Warriors’ campaign with another victory in the NBA Play-In Tournament in April.
Podziemski and Jackson-Davis got the Warriors going from the start, combining for 11 points in the first quarter, six fewer than the Kings as a whole team.
Golden State led by as many as 21 points in the matchup between the Northern California rivals before Sacramento tied the game on a three-point play by Mason Jones with 25 seconds remaining.
Podziemski, who shot 6 of 8 from the line, was fouled moments later and made his first shot before missing his second.
The Kings grabbed the rebound and had a chance to win, but Ellis launched a three-point try just as the buzzer sounded.
This was the first year that the Mitch Richmond Trophy was awarded. The base of the trophy features several white flags that will be individually changed each year to match the colors of the winning team.
Here are the conclusions from Wednesday’s game:
Podz, TJD Back after preparing Olympic athletes
Back from his One week stay in Las Vegas where they played for the USA Men’s Basketball All-Star Team against Team USA, Podziemski and Jackson-Davis looked very comfortable and relaxed on the Chase Center court.
Just as they were as rookies, the duo played with infectious energy on both ends.
Podz scored seven points in the first quarter. As usual, he was all over the court on defense and was fouled for assault in the second quarter.
Jackson-Davis was not as active offensively, taking just seven shots, but he did spark some fast breaks with his work in the paint.
Keon goes ahead for the kings
As one of the few Sacramento players in the California Classic with any sort of NBA experience, Ellis had a slight advantage over some of his other teammates, and it showed.
Ellis, who played fairly well in all three games at Golden 1 Center, joined Colby Jones as the only two Kings players with any kind of offensive success.
Jones led Sacramento in scoring and rebounding, but Ellis continued to show his abilities as a consistent scorer on the backcourt. Ellis missed half of the eight shots he attempted in the first half and shot 8 of 13 after that.
FFormer first-rounder makes offer with Dubs
Knox has been in the NBA, spending time with four different teams since joining the league as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 draft. But the versatile forward earned the confidence to get another chance, this time with the Warriors.
Knox helped Golden State pull away in the second quarter, scoring 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. He later made a two-handed dunk in the third quarter that helped the Warriors maintain their slim lead.