NBA playoffs: Steph Curry leads Warriors to dramatic win over Kings to even series at 2-2
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Sacramento Kings in the Playoffs
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The Golden State Warriors escaped with a 126-125 victory over the Kings after Harrison Barnes missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Warriors evened the series at 2-2 with Game 5 to be played Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“Give them credit,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Sacramento really hung in there, but our guys closed it out with a stop at the end and we’re where we need to be.”
Stephen Curry scored 32 points for the Warriors, who have won back-to-back games after losing the first two in Sacramento. Klay Thompson scored 26 points. Jordan Poole had 22 while Draymond Green, who came off the bench in a postseason game for the first time under Kerr after starting 132 consecutive playoff games, finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox had 38 points, nine rebounds and five assists in another valiant effort for Sacramento. Rookie forward Keegan Murray broke out of his slump with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 5 of 7 shooting from 3-point range.
“I’ve just tried to be more aggressive throughout the playoffs and I knew eventually I’d catch my stride on the offensive end, so it’s just a matter of time and I came in confident,” Murray said. “Just tried to figure out what they are doing against me and just try to figure out how I can get open looks.”
Domantas Sabonis finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Kings. Malik Monk came off the bench to produce 16 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Fox scored seven points over the first 5:22 to help his team take an early 15-14 lead. His highlights included a long 3-pointer and a soaring dunk that quieted the crowd, prompting the Warriors to take a timeout.
Green checked in for the first time to a huge ovation at the 6:38 mark after serving a one-game suspension for stomping on Sabonis in Game 2. Green immediately found himself in the middle of another altercation after hitting Murray in the eye. Fox got in Green’s face and the two of them exchanged words, resulting in technical fouls for both players.
Sacramento closed the first period with an 11-3 run to take a 32-31 lead after Fox made a 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds remaining. The Kings then outscored the Warriors 13-5 to start the second quarter. They went up 45-36 on a floater by Monk, but the Warriors responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game on a dunk by Kevon Looney.
Kings coach Mike Brown called a timeout to regroup. During the stoppage, the Warriors substituted Donte DiVincenzo for Curry and Gary Payton II for Andrew Wiggins. The Kings capitalized against Golden State’s bench, staging an 11-4 run to take a 56-49 lead on a pull-up jumper by Fox. They went up 62-53 on a jumper by Murray.
The Warriors cut the deficit to one on a 3-pointer by Curry, but Murray answered with another 3-pointer of his own, sending to the Kings to the locker room with a four-point lead at the break. Murray, who struggled in the first three games of the series, had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range in the first half.
Sacramento went up by seven on a 3-pointer by Harrison Barnes at the start of the second half, but Golden State battled back to take a 76-74 lead on a dunk by Green. The Kings briefly reclaimed the lead on a 3-pointer by Murray midway through the third quarter, but a 7-0 run put the Warriors up 89-83 with 4:27 to go.
Thompson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Warriors a 102-92 lead going into the fourth quarter. The Warriors outscored the Kings 37-23 in the third after trailing by four at the half.
“We fought back, but they hit a couple shots, we had a couple lapses and that ended up changing the course of the game,” Murray said. “It’s just something that, in the playoffs, you can’t have happen. We obviously need to clean up some of those mistakes.”
The Kings outscored the Warriors 7-0 to start the fourth. They got a couple of quick buckets from Sabonis and Davion Mitchell and then another 3-pointer from Murray to cut the deficit to three.
Sacramento cut Golden State’s lead to two on a 3-pointer by Monk. The Kings got within one on a three-point play by Mitchell and took a 107-106 lead on a layup by Monk, but the Warriors reclaimed the lead on back-to-back baskets from Curry.
The Kings only trailed by two following two free throws by Fox with 3:54 to go, but Thompson hit a big 3-pointer to put the Warriors up by five.
Curry called a timeout when his team didn’t have any remaining, resulting in a technical foul.
Kerr took responsibility for what could have been a costly gaffe, saying he should have reminded his players that he used his final timeout on an unsuccessful coach’s challenge moments earlier.
“It’s on me,” Kerr said. “I’ve got to remind the guys we’re out of timeouts and I didn’t say that, so Steph wasn’t aware. That’s on me for not making that clear.”
Monk made the free throw to trim Golden State’s lead to four and Fox buried a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, cutting the deficit to one. The Kings got the ball back after Curry missed a floater with 14 seconds remaining. Fox drove, drew a double-team and kicked to Barnes, who missed a 3-pointer from the left wing as time expired.
“He had a great look,” Fox said. “It was just long. It wasn’t left. It wasn’t right. As a shooter, that’s the way you want to miss. He had a good look. It was a good miss, so it is what it is. You move on.”
This story was originally published April 23, 2023 at 3:25 PM.
