Pushed by an excited crowd, the Kings got off to the best start thanks to Keegan Murray's 3/4 3-pointers and five lost balls and three missed lay-ups from the Warriors (25-15). Steve Kerr's men temporarily stop the bleeding thanks to Draymond Green (12 points, 6 assists), but their defense is suffering. They left 6 offensive rebounds to Sacramento in the first quarter, and the last one gave a 4th 3-pointer to Murray (31-22).
The Warriors continue to rush and the Kings take advantage of this to increase their lead to +16 (41-25)! The trio Kevon Looney – Chris Paul – Moses Moody (16 points) finally wakes up Golden State. They pass a 7-0 to their opponent, but a new loose ball and an offensive rebound allow De'Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis (16 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists), and Keon Ellis (15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 interceptions, 3 blocks) to also respond with a 7-0 (48-34).
Klay Thompson's ordeal: 0 out of 10 on shots!
Jonathan Kuminga (16 points, 6/15 on shots), until now on the inside, pulled himself together and scored ten points in the last six minutes of the half by alternating mid-range shots and circle attacks. Opposite, the Kings attack floundered as Domantas Sabonis kept up the bricks and let Draymond Green frustrate him. Despite 13 fewer shots than Sacramento, the Warriors finished the half with a 16-6 lead to return to the locker room with only 4 points behind (54-50).
Discreet until now, Stephen Curry (22 points, 6 lost balls) scores 5 points in a row to open the third quarter and bring the Warriors to -1 (58-57). They seem to have the wind in their sails but the Kings respond with a 9-0 thanks to three winning shots from Keon Ellis, Keegan Murray, and Harrison Barnes (67-57)! Stephen Curry continues his momentum but the rest of the Warriors, like Klay Thompson at 0/8 on shots, are down. De'Aaron Fox then took the opportunity to drive home the point and put the Kings at +16 before the last period (91-75).
Stephen Curry has tried to revive his team, but the Kings are not releasing the pressure, quite the contrary. Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis continue their festival while Klay Thompson finishes with zero points. The Kings take more than 20 points in advance and move towards a clear and flawless victory. They will travel to New Orleans during the night from Friday to Saturday to try to secure the playoffs.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The Kings were patient. Mike Brown's men had an almost perfect first half. They dominated the Warriors in the engagement, forcing 9 loose balls and grabbing 9 offensive rebounds. They limited Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to 5 points on 2/10 shots, they had 23 points from the Murray – Ellis tandem, and despite all that they returned to the locker room with only 4 points ahead! The fault was the last six missed minutes where the Warriors forced them to play on a set play and again forced Sabonis to take mid-range shots, like in the last playoffs.
– Faster, higher, stronger. Dominant in the first half, the Kings hit the nail on the head after the locker room and the contrast between the two teams could not be more obvious. De'Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis, Keegan Murray, and Davion Mitchell put pressure on Golden State's guards throughout the game. The Warriors were never comfortable, they rushed and the Curry – Wiggins – Green trio lost 12 of their 16 loose balls. The intensity and aggressiveness of the Kings was also felt on offensive rebounds, with six players with at least two offensive rebounds. The Warriors have struggled all season against teams younger and more athletic than them, and the Kings took advantage all night to outscore Golden State in all areas of the game.
– The key to the match: the X factors, all on the Sacramento side. During our preview, we asked this question as the key to the match: Which second knife to turn the match? The answer came in the first minutes of the match, with Keegan Murray scoring 14 of his 32 points in the first quarter. Keon Ellis added 13 points, while outworking Stephen Curry for all his points. Both players made 11/17 3-pointers. Harrison Barnes made 3/4. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis were equal to themselves. Opposite, Klay Thompson finished the match with 0 points and 0/10 on shots. Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga finished 10/26 on shots. Only Moses Moody was up to the task among Golden State's linebackers.
