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The Sacramento Kings have lost Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter in recent weeks, contributing to the Kings’ slippage all the way down to the ninth spot in the Western Conference. Because of that, they now have to win two games just to get to the playoffs as the eight-seed, and what welcomed them in the 9/10 matchup was a battle against a familiar foe in the Golden State Warriors.
The Kings, however, did not have much trouble when it came to dealing with the Warriors. Thanks to a stellar shooting night from Keegan Murray, who dropped 32 points, Sacramento took home a relatively straightforward 118-94 victory that could mean the end of Golden State’s contending days we’ve known them.
Coming off a seven-game battle in last year’s playoffs, the Kings had all the motivation in the world to get one over the Warriors and avenge their playoff exit last season courtesy of a 50-piece from Stephen Curry in Game 7. For De’Aaron Fox, it was only poetic that they were the ones to send the Dubs home.
“I think it’s great [to get over the hump]. Getting over that hump is one thing that we talked about… I’m wearing [Steph Curry’s] shoes tonight… with the way the season played out and some of the games we lost, we were like, ‘Of course we end up running into Golden State,'” Fox told Chris Haynes, courtside reporter for TNT, in his postgame interview.
Chris Haynes: "How special is it to finally get over that hump?
De'Aaron Fox: "I'm wearing [Steph Curry's] shoes tonight… With the way the season played out and the games we lost, we were like, 'Of course we run into Golden State.'"
pic.twitter.com/sPRKraI93v
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 17, 2024
But the Kings, despite knowing that defeating the Warriors is a cause for celebration, know that they still have a huge hurdle to overcome, as they have to win another game, this time against the New Orleans Pelicans, to secure a spot in the playoffs.
“We got another game to go to get into the playoffs,” Fox added.
This sentiment was echoed by head coach Mike Brown, with the Kings head coach not wanting to take the Pelicans lightly at all.
“Hell of a win, but we’re not done,” Brown said, per Sean Cunningham of FOX40.
Can the Kings catch their white whale?
No one did more damage to the Kings’ win-loss record more than the Pelicans. New Orleans took all five matchups against Sacramento in the regular season, with only one of those games ending with a single-digit lead for the Pelicans.
The Pelicans have the Kings’ number; New Orleans has a few long wing defenders to throw at the Kings’ offensive initiators, while the Kings are the rare team that can give head coach Willie Green some confidence about giving minutes to Jonas Valanciunas.
Valanciunas has been the odd man out for the Pelicans as of late. Green has opted to go with either Larry Nance Jr. or Zion Williamson at the five so they could cover more ground defensively. But with Domantas Sabonis being a focal point for the Kings, Valanciunas can indeed survive more minutes defensively since Sabonis, while shooting a respectable 37.9 percent from deep, doesn’t exactly take too many attempts from beyond the arc (1.1 per game).
Meanwhile, the Kings’ perimeter defenders struggle to contain CJ McCollum; the 32-year old guard scored a combined 61 points over his two most recent outings against the Pelicans, although Keon Ellis, the man who helped hold Stephen Curry in check on Tuesday, could help extend McCollum’s play-in misery.
The deciding factor in the upcoming play-in game will be Zion Williamson’s health. Williamson had to exit the Pelicans’ 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 7/8 play-in matchup due to a hamstring issue, and if he’s out, the Pelicans’ season will be in a world of trouble, especially with the Kings having all the momentum in the world following their resounding victory over the Warriors.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Jamal Murray beats the Lakers again to win series
- Rich Paul details Suns' 'catastrophe' following their playoff elimination
- The 'Most points in a playoff game by team' quiz
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