Warriors 120, Kings 101
OAKLAND, Calif. - Small forward Brandon Rush buried three 3-pointers in a third-quarter runaway Saturday night as the Golden State Warriors recorded an 18th straight season-opening win, 120-101 over the rival Sacramento Kings.
Point guard Stephen Curry dropped in three 3-pointers on a 19-point night and power forward Draymond Green recorded the franchise's first back-to-back triple-double in 51 years with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists, helping Golden State tie the 2007-08 Houston Rockets with a 22nd consecutive regular-season win dating back to last season, the third-longest streak in NBA history.
The last Warriors player to record triple-doubles in consecutive games had been Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain in 1964.
Green contributed 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in Friday's 135-116 win at Phoenix.
The Warriors now embark on a seven-game trip, during which they will be in pursuit of the 27-game winning streak compiled by the Miami Heat during the 2012-13 season.
The Los Angeles Lakers hold the all-time record of 33 straight wins, set during the 1971-72 season.
Playing for the second time in two nights, the Warriors fell behind by as many as eight in the first quarter, took a 56-46 lead into halftime, then exploded out of the break with a 16-4 flurry fueled by Rush to break the game open at 72-50 in the fourth minute of the third period.
Rush was starting in place of Harrison Barnes, who sprained his left ankle in Friday's win.
The Kings (6-12) were without star center DeMarcus Cousins for a third straight game because of a strained lower back.
Rush finished with 16 points and shooting guard Klay Thompson added 15 for the Warriors, who beat the Kings for a 10th consecutive time, the longest streak in the West Coast history of the rivalry.
The Warriors outshot the Kings 48.8 percent to 39.0 and connected on 16 of their 30 3's en route to their 28th straight home win. Only 10 teams in NBA history have strung together such a streak.
Forward Rudy Gay led all scorers with 20 points and center Kosta Koufos had 14 for the Kings, who completed a stretch of six road games in seven outings with a 2-5 mark.
Like Golden State, Sacramento was playing the second half of a back-to-back, having suffered a 101-91 home loss to Minnesota on Friday night.
The Kings fell to 1-7 in games Cousins hasn't played.
Standout point guard Rajon Rondo, who recorded a triple-double when the Kings were competitive in a 103-94 home loss to the Warriors earlier this month, was held to seven points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Rondo recorded three of his seven assists in a 14-6 start for the Kings.
But after making six of its first 11 shots, Sacramento missed 32 of its last 44 shots in the first half while falling behind by as many as 11.
NOTES: Warriors interim coach Luke Walton said it's possible that SF Harrison Barnes (sprained left ankle) will miss the team's 13-day trip that begins Monday at Utah. Barnes had played in 101 consecutive regular-season games dating to the 2013-14 season. ... The Warriors will play Utah, Charlotte, Toronto, Brooklyn, Indiana, Boston and Milwaukee on their upcoming trip. ... The only teams to win more than 22 consecutive games in NBA history were the Los Angeles Lakers (33) in 1971-72 and the Miami Heat (27) in 2012-13. ... The most recent team to win 28 or more consecutive home games was the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (32). ... Kings coach George Karl listed injured C DeMarcus Cousins (strained lower back) as "hopeful" for Monday's home game against Dallas.