In a pivotal NBA play-in tournament game, the Sacramento Kings delivered a commanding 118-94 victory over the Golden State Warriors, avenging last year’s defeat and potentially ending the Warriors’ dynasty. Explore key moments from the game, standout performances, and the implications for both teams’ futures.
The crowd started chanting “Light the Beam!” in the latter part of the fourth quarter as the Sacramento Kings continued to dominate the Golden State Warriors.
Following a previous season defeat by their regional rivals, the Kings emphatically exacted revenge on the Warriors, perhaps signaling the decline of a once-dominant dynasty.
Keegan Murray led the scoring with 32 points, with De’Aaron Fox contributing 24, helping the Kings to stay competitive in the play-in tournament by dispatching the Warriors with a decisive 118-94 win on Tuesday evening.
“We knew what was on the line,” Fox remarked. “This was just another obstacle in our way. We have to get over this hump. Obviously, losing to this team last year and obviously facing this team now, it’s like, of course we have to face this team.”
With this victory, Sacramento is set to face New Orleans on Friday night, aiming for a playoff spot as the eighth seed in the Western Conference, following their end to an NBA-record 16-year playoff absence last season. The Kings settled the score for a Game 7 home defeat to Golden State in the previous year’s first round by outmaneuvering the more seasoned Warriors, marking one of the franchise’s most significant victories in two decades.
The defeat excludes Golden State from postseason play for the third time in five years, which includes two play-in eliminations. The Warriors’ performance was lackluster, marred by 16 turnovers and insufficient defense, a stark contrast to the dynastic form that secured them four championships between 2015 and 2022.
“I was a sophomore in high school watching them win championships,” Fox said. “We’ve been watching this team for a long time. If it is the end, it is what it is. I’m glad we’re able to beat this team at this moment but, they definitely had a hell of a run.”
Klay Thompson’s potential last appearance for the Warriors was a forgettable one as he missed all 10 of his field goal attempts amid rumors of his impending free agency and a possible split from fellow champions Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
“We need Klay back. I know he had a tough night tonight,” coach Steve Kerr acknowledged. “I know I speak for everyone in the organization, we want him back. Obviously there’s business at hand and that has to be addressed. … But what Klay has meant to this franchise, as good as he is, we definitely want him back.”
Despite Thompson’s struggles, Curry lacked adequate support, finishing the game with 22 points while being persistently challenged by Keon Ellis.
Ellis, previously on a two-way contract until February, contributed 15 points bolstered by formidable defense. Harrison Barnes and Domantas Sabonis added to Sacramento’s tally with 17 and 16 points, respectively, along with Sabonis’s 12 rebounds.
“For the most part, they just took it to us the whole game,” Curry stated.
The rematch of last year’s series between these Northern California competitors started energetically, though it didn’t quite match the fervor of the previous year when Sacramento celebrated ending their prolonged playoff drought.
Murray, hitting four 3-pointers in the opening quarter, helped the Kings to a 16-point lead in the second quarter. Though the Warriors narrowed the gap to 54-50 by halftime, Sacramento launched a 19-5 surge early in the third quarter, propelled by Ellis’s pair of 3-pointers and more scoring from Murray, solidifying a lead they maintained till the end.
“The first play was for me and we just kind of kept going to that early on in the game,” Murray noted. “When your shot is falling, especially when mine is falling, they always seem to find me.”
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