The reigning champions offered themselves the right to believe in it. Victorious over Sacramento on its floor by the narrowest of margins (126-125), Golden State tied the series (2-2) and can continue to aim for the Western Conference semi-finals with realism.
If the meeting was generally balanced, the Warriors honored their reputation by accelerating in the third quarter (37-23). Incisive in their penetrations, intractable at three points, they printed a hellish pace in attack to take off. Klay Thompson’s shot at the buzzer, the result of extensive collective construction, increased the locals’ lead to 10 points before the last period (102-92).
Draymond Green back and precious
Golden State made the same efforts on the other side of the field to contain the opponent. Steve Kerr’s decision to send Draymond Green on a defensive mission on De’Aaron Fox paid off. The inside, absent from the starting five for his return from suspension, started the second half on the field and limited the Kings point guard to 5 points on 1/6 shooting in the third quarter, as he had scored 21 at 9/16 shooting in the first 24 minutes.
The visitors did not give up, however, briefly regaining the advantage at the start of the fourth quarter. De’Aaron Fox, who found the flame with 12 points in the last period, shook the Chase Center. But Harrison Barnes’ missed shot at the buzzer definitely sealed the game.
The Recital of Champions, the hatching of Keegan Murray
More than a man, it was the collective that took precedence for the winners. Stephen Curry, the team’s leading scorer, led the charge with 32 points at 11/22 shooting. Behind him, four other players have passed the 10-point mark: Klay Thompson (26), Jordan Poole (22), Andrew Wiggins (18) and Draymond Green (12).
Opposite, De’Aaron Fox’s 38 points and 9 rebounds at 14/31 shooting are no longer a surprise. Keegan Murray, he revealed himself for the first time in the series. Author of 23 points at 9/13 shooting, including 5/7 three-pointers, the Kings rookie scored his record points in a play-off game. He was much more productive on Sunday than in the first three combined meetings (10 points, 3/13 in shooting, 1/8 in three points).
With this victory, Golden State avoids falling into a position that few teams have managed to extricate themselves from in NBA history. Only 13 out of 271 teams have won their play-off series after trailing 3-1. At 2 everywhere, everything is still possible for both teams.
2023-04-23 23:07:22
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