A breakthrough road victory: 5 key takeaways from Golden State Warriors improbable win in Sacramento
The Golden State Warriors finally secured a road win in the playoffs with a hard-earned 123-116 victory over the Kings in Sacramento.
The much-needed road win kept the Golden State Warriors’ record of consecutive playoff series with at least one road victory alive. Playing in front of a hostile crowd, Steph Curry and company extended it to 28.
Armed with a series-advantage of 3-2, Coach Steve Kerr and his Warriors can advance to the second round of the 2023 NBA Playoffs with a victory at the Chase Center on Friday.
Here are the 5 key takeaways from the improbable Golden State Warriors' win:
1. The Draymond Green mean machine
Coming off the bench, Draymond Green tallied 21 points in the game on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from three-point range. Draymond’s almost flawless shooting performance, his highest since 2019, even included a Nowitzki-like fadeaway, considered to be the biggest shot of the game.
His timely and difficult shot even made Steve Kerr remark:
“They were calling him ‘Draymond Nowitzki’ after the fadeaway, that was maybe the biggest shot of the game, that and Wiggins’ fadeaway [that put Golden State up by five with 48 seconds to play].”
The winning coach even added:
“There were lots of big shots in the game, but those two stood out. Sacramento played really good defense and those guys made tough shots.”
Redeeming himself from a suspension that could have put a dent in their repeat bid, Draymond was expected to be his usual self on the defensive end of the floor. The 2019 Defensive Player of the year once again anchored the Golden State Warriors' superb defense with his four steals and timely stops.
2. Curry carried the team mostly on drives
Despite missing eight out of his 10 three-point shot attempts, Steph Curry still carried the load for his team offensively. Curry scored a game-high 31 points, mostly on drives and perimeter shots.
Curry did not let his off-shooting night stop him from being totally unproductive. He dug deeper into his artillery, owning the paint with his timely hard drives.
More than making up for his bricks from three-point territory, Steph stepped up with his perimeter shots. He gave the Warriors enough cushion in the end with his crucial three-point play.
3. Loonie the rebounding machine
Kevon Loonie had another monster night off the boards, collecting 22 rebounds and dishing out seven assists out of the 33 total for the Warriors.
A rebounding machine throughout the season, Loonie had several second scoring opportunities with seven offensive rebounds as well. He even outrebounded Damontas Sabonis, who prior to the game was awarded the NBA’s regular season rebound king.
“Looney gets all the rebounds, so what we give up in spacing we make up for in rebounds and defense,” Kerr said.
4. Injured hand sent De’Aaron back to his foxhole
Listed as doubtful prior to game five, De’Aaron Fox had a blazing start, connecting on his first three three-point shots to give the Kings their biggest lead, 28-19, in the first quarter. The Warriors, however, finished the period with a furious 14-8 run to trim down the deficit to three 33-36.
Showing no sign of any hand injury, Fox led all scorers in the first half, scoring 17 points, to carry the fight for the Kings. But when it mattered most, he went 0-for-6 while playing the entire fourth quarter.
Ironically, Fox was presented with his Jerry West Trophy before the game as the winner of the NBA’s first Kia Clutch Player of the Year award. He won the award based off his clutch performances in the fourth quarter of the regular season.
Although he credited Golden State’s defense and put pressure on himself to deliver in those situations, who knows what would’ve happened had he not suffered that hand injury.
5. Warriors: Kings of the road once more
Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, and the Warriors dominated the game on the defensive side for the majority of the game. Keegan Murray, who helped the Kings have a solid start, was held scoreless in the second half while De’Aaron Fox was limited to only eight points, missing shot after shot at the clutch.
Harrison Barnes, who missed a wide-open three-point shot at the buzzer in the previous game, scattered nine points for the Kings in the third quarter. But the former Warrior was held to four points the rest of the game.
Known for their third-quarter spurts, the Warriors took the lead for good. Draymond Green, who did not start for the second straight game, scored a personal 4-0 run to give his team a 99-90 advantage.
The Kings, however, did not go away without a fight. They were able to turn their double-digit fourth quarter deficit into a one-possession disadvantage. With Malik Monk taking over, the Kings were able to turn a 93-105 deficit into a 106-107 disadvantage on a suffocating 13-2 run.
But the Warriors proved steadier in the clutch, taking advantage of two consecutive Fox misses from the 3-point area. Wiggins scored on a drive after the first miss, while Curry had a fancy lay-up after a second Fox miss.