The Golden State Warriors blew out the Sacramento Kings 137-103 at Chase Center on Friday. The Warriors completely dominated in the second half to cruise to victory, and Stephen Curry rubbed some salt on the Kings’ wounds after the game.
Curry was asked in his press conference if he thinks Warriors-Kings is still a rivalry, and he made it pretty clear he does not.
“Geographically, yeah,” Curry said. “That’s about it.”
Steph Curry COOKED the Kings 😭
“Are the Warriors and Kings rivals?”
Steph: “geographically yeah, that’s about it.” pic.twitter.com/KXohztvl9J
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 10, 2026
Ouch! This was indeed a rivalry at one point, but those days are long gone.
The rivalry began when the Warriors and Kings faced off in a classic first-round playoff series back in 2023. Draymond Green stomping on Domantas Sabonis in Game 2 added some spice to the matchup, and the series ended up going the distance. Curry then scored 50 points in Game 7 to power the Warriors to a 120-100 win.
The Kings would get their revenge the next year. They blew out the Warriors 118-94 in a play-in game to ensure they didn’t even make the playoffs in 2024. Unfortunately, the Kings would lose 105-98 to the New Orleans Pelicans in the next play-in game, which meant they didn’t make the playoffs either. They’d then lose in the play-in again in 2025, with the Dallas Mavericks beating them 120-106.
The Kings have followed up those back-to-back exits by crashing and burning in 2025-26. This latest loss was their seventh in a row and dropped them to 8-30 on the season. Only the 7-31 Indiana Pacers have a worse record than the Kings now. It’s a shame just how bad things have gotten.
As for the Warriors, they are getting back on track. They have now won seven of their last 10 games and are eighth in the West with a 21-18 record.
Curry led the way for the Warriors against the Kings with 27 points (10-21 FG), 10 assists, one steal, and two blocks. Funnily enough, the two-time MVP was one of the least efficient players for the hosts on the night, which tells how easy it was for them.
The Warriors went 52-95 (54.7%) from the field and 19-45 (42.2%) from beyond the arc against the Kings. As far as comfortable wins go, this was right up there.
The Warriors have now won three of their last four against the Kings, with the only loss coming in a game earlier this season where Curry, Green, and Jimmy Butler didn’t play. Even with those absences, the contest was tied in the fourth quarter, and the Kings just about came away with a 121-116 win. This has gone from a rivalry to a mismatch.
We’ll see the Warriors and Kings face off two more times this season in April. Provided the big names play, expect two more wins for Golden State.
For now, though, the Warriors’ focus will be on their next game against the Atlanta Hawks at Chase Center on Sunday at 8:30 PM ET.
