De’Aaron Fox scores 24 points and Malik Monk adds 21, but the Kings can’t stop the Warriors when it matters in a pivotal Game 5. Sacramento lost 123-116 and now faces elimination in the first-round NBA playoff series.
SACRAMENTO -- The Kings ventured home Wednesday night on a mission to retake the lead in their first-round NBA playoff series against the defending champion Warriors.
Their two-game stay in the Bay didn't go as planned. Neither did their return to Golden 1 Center.
Sure, Keegan Murray chants echoed throughout the arena. Draymond Green, not Domantas Sabonis, was on the receiving end of the home fans' boos. De’Aaron Fox, once consider doubtful to play because of a fractured index finger on his left shooting hand, received the loudest ovation of all.
But when the final buzzer sounded, the Warriors joyously left with a 123-116 win in Game 5.
The Kings, who won the first two in this best-of-seven series, now trail 3-2 and face potential elimination Friday night at Chase Center in Game 6.
Sacramento, which tallied the second-most road wins in the NBA during the regular season, will have its road warrior identity put to the test with a storybook season on the line.
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Here are three observations from the Kings' loss, which featured ice-cold outside shooting and defensive miscues after a red-hot start:
Fox’s finger? Just fine
Fox suffered the finger injury in the closing minutes of Game 4. Three days later, the sixth-year pro toughed it out for a pivotal Game 5.
Fox put all concerns about his index finger out of the way early, splashing his first three 3-point attempts. He had nine points after one quarter and 17 points at halftime.
At practice and shoot-around this week, the Kings' All-Star guard was confident about his ability to play with that same level of All-NBA intensity. He looked like himself for most of the night, logging 24 points with nine assists, seven rebounds and two steals in a team-high 42 minutes.
The only part that didn’t resemble Fox was in crunch time. The inaugural NBA Clutch Time Player of the Year winner didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter, and missed all three of his field-goal attempts in the game’s final five minutes.
Where did Keegan go?
The Keegan Murray from Game 4 at Chase Center made his way north to Golden 1 Center for Game 5.
In the first quarter, at least.
Murray, who finished fifth in NBA Rookie of the Year voting earlier this week, looked like a savvy veteran in the opening 12 minutes, following his 23-point Game 4 with 10 first-quarter points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field in Game 5.
However, Murray disappeared from the Kings’ offensive plans after that. He didn’t take a single shot in the second, third or fourth quarters.
The Kings’ outside shooting followed Murray’s lead. Sacramento knocked down 8 of 12 3-point attempts in the first quarter but went just 2 of 23 the rest of the way.
That won’t win you many games, much less a playoff bout against the defending NBA champs.
Too many second chances
Too many poor defensive possessions. And too many solid defensive possessions that ended with a Warriors offensive rebound.
Golden State center Kevon Looney again dominated the glass with 22 rebounds -- seven of those coming on the offensive glass, which led to the bulk of the Warriors’ 18 second-chance points.
The Kings also struggled to find any answer for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, as the Splash Brothers combined for 56 points. Green, with 21 points, tallied his first 20-point game since December 2019.
All in all, it was a poor defensive effort. The Kings' Achilles' heel all season showed up again in the playoffs with unfortunate timing.
