SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Just before halftime of Game 3 between Golden State and Sacramento, Stephen Curry launched a three-pointer that hit the back rim and careened out. Kevon Looney beat Domantas Sabonis to the rebound with five seconds left and immediately looked to pass it out. Curry floated to the wing and Looney found him for an open look. Curry buried the three with 1.5 seconds to send the Warriors into the locker room leading by double-digits.
Looney won the 50-50 ball. Golden State won the possession. The Warriors won Game 3, 114-97.
“All that’s big, momentum,” said Curry about the play. “It bounces right to [Looney] and he makes a split decision to kick it back out. We needed every bit of it and I know he relishes those opportunities to make his presence felt in a very unique way.”
Last Wednesday on 95.7 The Game’s Steiny & Guru, Warriors President & General Manager Bob Myers offered a unique comparison for Looney’s rebounding: Dennis Rodman. For 15 years, Rodman’s rebounding created second-chance points for five championship teams, but rarely for himself. Often, the Hall-of-Famer was in the right place, at the right time, to grab the rebound and extend the possession. Though Looney will never reach Rodman’s NBA record of 158 games with 20 or more rebounds, the blueprint of relentless and unselfish dirty work is Looney’s modus operandi.
Looney’s relentless effort led to his third career 20-rebound game (second in the postseason). His unselfishness led to nine assists. Looney only scored four points, but was a plus-21, second only to Curry. Both players were in a zone.
“Sometimes in rebounding, you can get in the zone,” said Looney about the comparison. “Just how Steph and them with threes. Sometimes I know where the ball is going and every time I touch it, it seems to go my way, tips go my way, things like that.” Typically, that zone is associated with scoring or the prevention of scoring. On Thursday night, Looney showed how it also applies to rebounding.
Kings head coach Mike Brown admitted his team couldn’t do anything with Looney.
The Warriors big played a key role in 24 second-chance points after Golden State was dominated in that category through the first two games of the first-round series. Of Looney’s nine offensive rebounds, the Warriors turned six into baskets. Kick-outs, dump-offs, and the occasional putback were a common sight. It’s not anything the Warriors haven’t seen before.
“This is who he is,” said Steve Kerr after the win. “The game is much simpler when Loon is out there.” Looney set the tone after Golden State was out-rebounded heading into Game 3. A lack of boxing out and too much ball-watching allowed the Kings to control the boards in Sacramento. The Warriors returned to form at Chase Center, starting with Looney.
Golden State needed all of it from its center, with Draymond Green suspended for Game 3. Looney picked up the slack, not only in rebounding and passing, but in defending the Kings' big men. After splitting time on Sabonis in Games 1 & 2, Looney had the assignment all to himself in Green’s absence. Across 31 minutes, Looney defended Sabonis and Alex Len, both seven-footers. Looney committed only one foul. He made life difficult for Sabonis specifically, who scored just 15 points in 34 minutes and was a minus-20.
Kerr staggered Looney’s minutes, particularly in the first half, to mimic Sabonis’ time on the court. With Golden State forced to go even smaller than usual, more responsibility fell into Looney’s lap. Being out there with three guards most of the night meant switching, rim-running, and more work that tested Looney's iron man stamina.
His relentlessness also proved infectious, with Donte DiVincenzo collecting four offensive rebounds. Jonathan Kuminga picked up a pair off the offensive glass and even Jordan Poole cleaned up two loose balls on the offensive end. The Warriors were killed on the boards in Game 1, corrected some flaws in Game 2, and put it all together in Game 3. Getting it done without the team’s second-leading rebounder (behind Looney) could be a momentum builder.
After Looney’s Game 3 performance, there are only two players in the past two postseasons with multiple 20-rebound games. One of them is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The other is Looney. With Golden State’s season essentially on the line, he could not have picked a better time for a “Rodman-like” game.