The Warriors aren't your typical reigning NBA champions.
Yes, coach Steve Kerr's rotation features an all-time great in Steph Curry. Four-time champs Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala likely will have statues around Chase Center someday as well.
But the team is expecting to go through turbulence this season as they navigate their two-timeline plan and bring along youngsters to usher in the next era of Warriors basketball. That young core was exposed Sunday night, as the Warriors watched a 26-point lead trickle down to a four-point game in the final minute before closing out a 130-125 win.
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"It’s way better to learn lessons you need to learn through the season through wins," Curry said Sunday night on NBC Sports Bay Area. "Honestly right now, it doesn’t feel that good, though, just because … you’ve got a lot of guys taking the court early in the season trying to build chemistry and experience and reps.
"These are some tough lessons."
Curry went off for 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting, helping the Warriors take the life out of the Kings early. Golden State scored 89 points in the first half, the second-most in the opening two quarters in franchise history.
Curry checked out of the game with 2:29 to play in the third quarter. The Warriors maintained a 24-point lead, and the superstar figured his night was over.
Golden State Warriors
However, the Kings, hungry for their first win of the season, stormed back against the Warriors' bench and made things interesting. Aside from Jordan Poole's nine fourth-quarter points, Golden State couldn't muster any offense and shot 21.1 percent from the field in the final frame.
Curry checked in again with 5:18 to play in a 12-point game. Even he struggled in the fourth quarter, missing all four field-goal attempts and committing one turnover.
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"It’s really hard to win in this league. No lead is safe," Curry said. "It’s a game of runs; we all know that, we’ve been on the other side of it.
"To really take pride in every minute you have out there, that’s a lesson we need to learn."
Even the defending champions have plenty to work on.