Stephen Curry scores 31 points to help Warriors take 3-2 series lead over Kings
Stephen Curry pumped a fist and roared toward a crestfallen crowd after converting a late three-point play to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Kings 123-116 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series Wednesday night in Sacramento.
Curry scored 31 points to silence a sellout crowd of 18,253 at Golden 1 Center. The Warriors have won three in a row to take a 3-2 lead after losing the first two games in the best-of-seven series. They can end the series when they play host to the Kings in Game 6 on Friday at Chase Center in San Francisco.
“It’s kind of like desperation,” Kings guard Davion Mitchell said. “It’s win or go home. Just like when we were up 2-0 and they did a really good job of coming out strong and hitting us in the mouth in Game 3, and they kind of took that over. We’ve got to have the same mindset coming in. It’s a really good team, especially at home, but we’ve got to punch them in the mouth first.”
Klay Thompson added 25 points for Golden State. Draymond Green came off the bench to post a season-high 21 points, four rebounds and seven assists. Kevon Looney continued to kill the Kings inside, recording 22 rebounds and seven assists.
De’Aaron Fox had 24 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for the Kings despite playing with a broken finger. Domantas Sabonis had 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. Malik Monk came off the bench to score 14 of his 21 points during a furious fourth-quarter comeback that came up short.
Fox and Sabonis combined for 11 of Sacramento’s 19 turnovers. The Kings were outscored 19-14 on points off turnovers.
“We had a lot of turnovers tonight,” Fox said. “I had a lot of turnovers. We’ve just got to be better in the second half.”
Fox was sensational early in the game, but he went scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter. After going 3 of 4 from the field and 3 of 3 from 3-point range in the first quarter, Fox finished 9 of 25 overall and 3 of 10 from long distance. He was asked how much the broken finger bothered him as the game went on.
“I was fine,” Fox said. “You know it’s going to get hit, but I’m alright.”
All eyes were on Fox as Game 5 got underway and Kings fans liked what they saw in the opening minutes.
Fox vowed to play despite suffering from an avulsion fracture to the left index finger on his shooting hand in a Game 4 loss to the Warriors on Sunday at Chase Center. Fox received a huge ovation when he was presented with the NBA Clutch Player of the Year award before the game and again during pregame introductions.
The cheers continued as Fox came out firing in the first quarter, posting nine points, two rebounds and three assists to help the Kings build a 36-33 lead. Sacramento went 8 of 12 from beyond the arc in the opening period after shooting 30.3% in the first four games of the series. The Kings led by as many as 10 before the Warriors closed the gap.
Golden State brought Green off the bench for the second time since he was suspended one game without pay for stomping on Sabonis in Game 2. Green was booed loudly when he entered the game for the first time at the 6:34 mark and again every time he touched the ball.
The Warriors came back to cut the deficit to one at the start of the second quarter before Fox hit three shots in a span of 1:39 as part of a 9-4 run that put the Kings up 45-39. Sacramento led 50-44 with five minutes remaining in the first half, but Thompson made three 3-pointers during a 12-0 run that gave Golden State a 56-50 lead with 2:45 to go.
The Warriors carried a 60-56 lead into the locker room at the break after shooting 52.2% in the opening half. The Kings found themselves trailing despite a huge first half from Fox, who had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Kings went up 61-60 on a 3-pointer by Kevin Huerter early in the second half. Huerter breathed a momentary sigh of relief after going 3 of 21 from 3-point range over the first four games of the series, but the Kings were outscored 16-7 over the next 2:26. The Warriors reclaimed the lead on a pull-up jumper by Thompson and went up 76-68 on a driving layup by Jordan Poole.
The Kings came back to cut the deficit to two on a basket by Monk with 3:53 to play in the third quarter, but the Warriors quickly pushed their lead back up to six following baskets by Curry and Looney. The Kings attacked the basket repeatedly with some success, but every time they cut into Golden State’s lead, the Warriors responded. Sacramento trailed by four following a driving layup by Monk with 1:22 to go, but 3-pointers from Thompson and Green helped Golden State take a 99-90 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Warriors went up by 12 on a driving layup by Curry with 9:08 to play. Monk scored 11 points to fuel a 15-4 run as the Kings stormed back to cut the deficit to one on a basket by Harrison Barnes with 5:00 remaining. The Kings had a chance to win in the final minutes, but Fox and Mitchell committed a couple of costly turnovers that allowed the Warriors to regain control.
The Kings will have to beat the Warriors on Friday at Chase Center — where they went 33-8 this season — to force a Game 7 on Sunday in Sacramento.
“We know our back is against the wall,” Fox said. “We know that going there, it’s a tough place to win, but at the end of the day you’re taking it one game at a time and we’re just trying to prepare, trying to bring the physicality from the tip, and you go out there and you try to win a game. One loss and your season’s over, but we’re thinking about it one game at a time.”
Kings coach Mike Brown said his players have responded well this season with their “backs against a wall.” He believes they will do it again in Game 6.
“If we lose, our season comes to an end,” Brown said. “It’s as simple as that and that in itself should heighten the sense of urgency and awareness to go get it done, and I have full confidence in our guys that they’ll be ready to go get it done come Friday.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it won’t be easy to eliminate the Kings.
“Close out games are always incredibly difficult, and so we’re not of that feeling,” Kerr said. “We know that we have to go out and get it done. And we do feel like we know what we have to do. It’s no secret, take care of the ball and rebound. Match them in those areas, which we did tonight, and we’ve done in the last three games. But if that doesn’t continue then we know what this team is about. They’re a great team and incredibly well coached and connected. The next game will be the hardest one of the series.”
This story was originally published April 26, 2023 at 9:53 PM.
