When Harrison Barnes missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, the Golden State Warriors held on to defeat the Sacramento Kings 126-125 on Sunday. Stephen Curry scored 32 points, but the focus quickly was on him calling a timeout Golden State did not have, which almost proved fatal.
“Wide open,” Barnes said. “Fox trusted me to take that shot. Back rim. On to the next but I feel confident in where we are.”
The Warriors began the game with Draymond Green coming off the bench, following his recommendation to coach Steve Kerr for him to do so. After Kevon Looney recorded four points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists in Game 3, Green felt it was unfair for him to return to the starting lineup after his one-game suspension.
“I’m a firm believer if something isn’t broke you don’t fix it,” Green said.
After facing a 69-65 deficit at the break, the Warriors opted to deploy Green as the primary defender to guard De’Aaron Fox for the remainder of the game. There was no time to waste for Golden State. The adjustment they tend to make defensively as the series progresses is for Green to handle one of the opposition’s top options.
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Fox finished with 38 points, nine rebounds, and five assists for Sacramento. Even with Green checking him down the stretch, he got the job done late — converting a 3-pointer with 28.7 seconds remaining in regulation to pull the Kings within one. Curry could not answer after missing a mid-range jumper on the other end, and the Kings hauled in the rebound.
This occurred before Curry called a timeout that Golden State did not have with 42.4 seconds left with a 126-121 lead. Sacramento made the technical free throw. The circumstances enabled the Kings to have a chance to convert a game-winner with Barnes being left wide open, given the Warriors’ focus was to load up on Fox.
“These games are coming down to the wire, and you’ve just got to really finish possessions and try to give yourself the best chance, and then sometimes, it’s just, does the ball go in or not,” Warrios coach Steve Kerr said.
Despite the Warriors’ inability to execute in pivotal moments down the stretch, the Kings just couldn’t quite manage to capitalize on them. Sacramento was as close as it gets to heading back home with a 3-1 series lead, but instead, is tied 2-2 headed back to Golden 1 Center for Game 5.
“We made some timely mistakes, especially in the fourth quarter,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “This is where our playoff inexperience comes into play because you can’t rest out there, or you can’t think that you can play something a certain way and the champions are not going to make you pay the price.”
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The Warriors have been playing smaller lineups, and the approach has translated to impressive results offensively. Golden State finished with 50/41/91 shooting splits while receiving 26 points from klay Thompson, 22 points from Jordan Poole, and 18 points from Andrew Wiggins, in addition to Curry’s 32 points.
Green and Looney continued to thrive doing the Warriors’ dirty work. A total of eight points, 14 rebounds, and six assists were accounted for by Looney. Green struggled to shoot as he was 3-14 from the floor and missed his two perimeter attempts, he racked up 12 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. Without these two versatile threats, it’s hard to envision where Golden State would be.
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Keegan Murray bounced back in a major way for the Kings with 23 points on five made 3-pointers. Sacramento’s other star, Sabonis, totaled 14 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. The team received a combined 28 points from Malik Monk (16 points) and Davion Mitchell (12 points). Sacramento just barely didn’t achieve enough to win.
Making matters worse for the Kings, Fox suffered a hand injury that put his Game 5 status in doubt, but he will now have to finish the series with a hand splint and plenty of pain.
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