{"id":49864,"date":"2023-04-24T12:32:26","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T16:32:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=49864"},"modified":"2023-04-26T21:55:23","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T01:55:23","slug":"warriors-kings-game-4-stephen-curry-helps-golden-state-tie-the-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/04\/24\/warriors-kings-game-4-stephen-curry-helps-golden-state-tie-the-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Warriors-Kings Game 4: Stephen Curry Helps Golden State Tie the Series"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It wasn\u2019t football, but Game 4 between the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/warriors\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Golden State Warriors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/kings\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sacramento Kings<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was a game of inches. It was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/f\/foxde01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>De\u2019Aaron Fox<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> blazing past a defender, stopping on a dime, and letting him glide by as he lofted a floater into the net. It was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/10\/18\/top-nba-players-2022-23-2-stephen-curry\/\" target=\"_self\"><b>Stephen Curry<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lofting impossible threes that seemed destined to land within the distant orange circle standing 10 feet high.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And it was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/barneha02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Harrison Barnes<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 three clanking off of inches of back-rim real estate.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Harrison Barnes missed the game-winner \ud83d\ude33 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/49CPp1RV4C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/49CPp1RV4C<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BleacherReport\/status\/1650263848694456320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Warriors squeaked out a 126-125 thriller that was closer to the back-and-forth in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/04\/19\/warriors-kings-game-2\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Games 1 and 2<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/04\/21\/warriors-kings-game-3-golden-state-stays-alive\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Game 3<\/span><\/a> blowout<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Dive deep into Game 4 and the series overall as this entertaining 2-2 matchup appears likely to go seven.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Warriors-Kings Game 4: Stephen Curry Helps Golden State Tie the Series<\/h2>\n<h3><b>Warriors-Kings: Game 4 Recap<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The intrigue began before the game as<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greendr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Draymond Green<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> did not start after <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/04\/20\/draymond-green-suspended-for-game-3-of-warriors-kings-series\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">being suspended for Game 3<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. (He would start the second half in place of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/p\/poolejo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Jordan Poole<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.) The contest was fueled by the same pure basketball adrenaline as the first two games from tipoff. Golden State had their usual sloppy turnovers early, which fueled the Kings\u2019 transition attack. They settled down, and Curry had the crowd roaring with an impossible shot over the tough defense of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mitchda01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Davion Mitchell<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Oh my STEPH \ud83d\ude31 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/f5Z4XCv4FY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/f5Z4XCv4FY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSWarriors\/status\/1650229572577927168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kings stayed composed thanks to Fox\u2019s brilliance and an explosion from the previously dormant <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrake02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Keegan Murray<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. They finished the first quarter on a 7-0 run to seize a 32-31 lead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dueling runs defined the second quarter. The Kings paraded to a 14-3 run after an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wiggian01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Andrew Wiggins<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> layup to start the quarter. The Warriors responded with a 9-0 game-tying run. Fox was incandescent, scoring 21 to lead the Kings to a 69-65 halftime lead despite <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompkl01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Klay Thompson<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019s 10 second-quarter points. Murray scored 15 in the half during his star turn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SacramentoKings\/status\/1650242860724404225\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/twitter.com\/SacramentoKings\/status\/1650242860724404225<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The third quarter started with a splash, as Curry and Thompson both hit multiple jumpers in the opening minutes. Wiggins found his rhythm as Sacramento shifted their attention toward the guards, and Green threw down a thunderous dunk. The Kings stayed in contact by getting to the free-throw line as they struggled to make shots against a tenacious defense. Thompson capped the quarter with a corner three to give the Warriors a 102-92 lead.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>An Exhilarating Finish to Game 4<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On theme, Sacramento responded with a 7-0 run to open the fourth. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/monkma01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Malik Monk<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> bombed threes and slithered to the rim as Fox remained unstoppable. Golden State seemed to seize control as the quarter went on, with Curry remaining an unsolvable problem for Sacramento.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Warriors went up 118-115 with 4:35 left after a pair of Thompson free throws and immediately put the Kings in the bonus on the ensuing defensive possession. Sacramento responded to a Curry three with free throws from Fox. Thompson drilled a three before Monk intercepted a bad pass from Poole and assisted Mitchell\u2019s transition layup. Steve Kerr unsuccessfully challenged a moving screen called on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/looneke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Kevon Looney<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during the next possession, and Sacramento seemed poised to take control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barnes and Sabonis had multiple chances to cut the lead to one, but the Warriors\u2019 defense held strong. Green forcefully blocked Sabonis, then set up a difficult floater converted by Wiggins. Golden State got a stop, but Curry performed an ill-timed tribute to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aiJxgcka7BA\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chris Webber by calling a timeout<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> after the team had run out. Monk made the technical free throw; then Fox showed why he was named the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/2022-23-kia-nba-clutch-player-of-the-year\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clutch Player of the Year<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">FOX CLUTCH 3 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/osixJGYjjT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/osixJGYjjT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Alex \ud83d\udc4b (@Dubs408) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Dubs408\/status\/1650261903137206272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Curry missed a floater, and the Kings called a timeout down just a point with a chance to win. Then, Barnes happened.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Warriors-Kings: Series at a Glance and Game 5 Preview<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some facts about this 2-2 series:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-The Warriors are outscoring the Kings 469-462 overall through four games.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-Fox\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/stats\/players\/advanced?SeasonType=Playoffs&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=USG_PCT\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">usage rate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the highest among those averaging at least 10 minutes in the playoffs. He\u2019s finishing 32.4% of Sacramento\u2019s possessions with a shot, free throws, or a turnover, up from 28.8% during the regular season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/huertke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><b>Kevin Huerter<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is 3-21 from three this series after missing his only attempt in Game 4. He played just 21 minutes and shot 1-4 overall.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-Curry is averaging 31.5 points on 48.8% (43\/88) shooting from the field, 40% (20\/50) from three, and 95.2% (20\/21) on free throws.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sacramento and Golden State can both feel proud to be 2-2 in this series for various reasons. The Warriors have Wiggins back and playing well after missing the last two months of the regular season. Curry is in MVP form, and they were able to win a game without Green.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Warriors will need an aggressive Curry to stop the beam and win a road game in raucous Sacramento. He needs to make Fox work on defense and be aggressive to score early, whether in isolation or running off screens. Curry\u2019s early passivity plays into Sacramento\u2019s hands with their best Curry defender (Mitchell) coming off the bench.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Barnes, Sabonis, and Huerter are the only rotation players with significant postseason experience for Sacramento. They\u2019ve defended the battle-tested Warrior offense much better than you\u2019d expect, given their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cleaningtheglass.com\/stats\/league\/summary\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">25th-ranked defense<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Fox has remained unguardable in the playoffs against a title-winning team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next game, Mike Brown should start Mitchell. Huerter has struggled, and while Sacramento needs him to produce, Brown doesn\u2019t have the luxury of patience. Game 5 is a must-win for the Kings, and Brown should treat it as such.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Draymond Green on the Harrison Barnes look for the win: \u201cWe know Fox can make a shot. He won Clutch Player of the Year. What I\u2019m not doing is giving him an isolation against anyone.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0O2ZYLSyYw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/0O2ZYLSyYw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/anthonyVslater\/status\/1650273999283449861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 23, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It wasn\u2019t football, but Game 4 between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings was a game of inches. It was De\u2019Aaron Fox blazing past a defender, stopping on a dime, and letting him glide by as he lofted a floater into the net. It was Stephen Curry lofting impossible threes that seemed destined [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4175,"featured_media":49865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,25,29],"tags":[4759,664,48],"class_list":["post-49864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-warriors","category-kings","tag-2023-nba-playoffs","tag-deaaron-fox","tag-stephen-curry"],"modified_by":"Michael Love, Associate Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}