The Golden State Warriors are facing an NBA playoff opponent they have never encountered before. They are trailing 2-0 in their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings, dropping both games at Golden 1 Center as the Kings pulled away late in each contest.
Heading back to the Chase Center for Game 3 on Thursday, it would be understandable if the Warriors were feeling a little bit of pressure. Not only is it essentially a must-win game, but they will be playing without Draymond Green, who was suspended one game for stomping on Domantas Sabonis in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
For a team that has seen basically everything there is to see in a playoff series, this is uncharted territory for Golden State. Despite that, Stephen Curry is feeling excited more than anything else heading into the game.
“It’s exciting, right?” Curry said. “It’s a new challenge. After the game, I was thinking that: This is something we haven’t seen yet. And we’ve conquered all the rest of them, so why not go conquer this one? It will be a lot of fun.”‘
Curry has played well in the first two games of the series, shooting 20-of-41 overall from the field but only 9-of-27 from 3-point range. The Warriors are going to need a little more from their supporting cast if they are going to overcome the 2-0 deficit they are currently facing.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors & Sacramento Kings Updates
Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins are the only other players on the team who have scored in double-figures in both games. While some teams would be panicking at this stage, that isn’t what the Warriors are doing. They remain cool, calm and collected knowing what lies ahead.
“I don’t feel pressure,” Thompson said. “I see an opportunity to protect home court and make adjustments. We’ve been through it all. We’re not accustomed to hitting the panic button.”
Coming into the series, there were individual players on the Warriors’ roster who had more playoff games played than the entire Kings’ roster. They know what it takes to win a series, and Curry is setting the tone ahead of Game 3.
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors & Sacramento Kings Updates
“That’s the old saying: The series doesn’t start until somebody wins on the other team’s home floor,” Curry said. “If we want to get ourselves back into it, we’ve got to start with a focused effort on Game 3 at home.”
Game 3 is set to take place on Thursday night at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT on TNT. The Warriors are a different animal when playing at home and will look to take the first step to get back into the series that evening.
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