Warriors 115, Kings 89
WARRIORS 115, KINGS 89: Nate Robinson, Brandon Rush and David Lee each scored 17 points as visiting Golden State won just hours after trading leading scorer Monta Ellis.
The shorthanded Warriors won for the third straight game and stayed in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Warriors entered Tuesday in 13th place in the West and 3.5 games back of the eighth-place Houston Rockets.
Robinson, starting in place of the injured Stephen Curry, went 7 for 11 from the field. Golden State shot 50.5 percent for the game, including going 12 for 24 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Warriors had six players in double figures.
The Warriors dealt Eliis and centers Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the Milwaukee Bucks, getting center Andrew Bogut and small forward Stephen Jackson in return. Neither player was in uniform Tuesday.
Golden State took an 84-73 lead into the fourth quarter and opened the final frame with a 12-4 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Charles Jenkins. He had 15 points in just 19 minutes of action and was part of a 47-point effort from the Warriors bench.
Sacramento lost for the sixth time in the past eight games and fell to the Warriors for just the second time in their last five meetings.
DeMarcus Cousins led the Kings with 19 points and 12 rebounds while Tyreke Evans added 16 points in the loss.
Curry sat out with a nagging ankle injury that limited him to just over nine minutes of action in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Golden State outscored Sacramento 31-16 in the fourth quarter. …The Warriors lead the all-time series with the Kings 183-182. …Golden State outscored Sacramento 50-38 in the paint. …Golden State won three in a row for the just the second time this season.