Ahead of the Warriors-Kings Game 3 matchup at Chase Center, Sacramento coach Mike Brown speaks to reporters about how he anticipates the referees will call the first-round NBA playoff series after a change in venue.
- Programming note: Kings fans can watch complete Game 3 coverage Thursday on NBC Sports California, NBCSportsCalifornia.com and the NBC Sports app. “Kings Pregame Live” starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mark Jones and Kayte Christensen on the game broadcast at 7, with “Kings Postgame Live” immediately after the game.
There has been plenty of chatter about the officiating in the Kings-Warriors first-round NBA playoff series leading up to Thursday night's Game 3.
Much of it has circled around Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis, especially after Golden State forward Draymond Green was suspended for Thursday night's contest for his viral stomp in Game 2. Reports swirled Wednesday that the Warriors believe Sabonis is using the basketball as a "weapon" on offense, and former NBA guard JJ Redick also made headlines after he said "the referees have dictated too much in the Kings' favor in this series."
Now, Kings coach Mike Brown doesn't anticipate many calls going Sacramento’s way.
“They’re the champions at the end of the day. We’re going into their building,” Brown said Wednesday after practice. “We know that we’re not going to get a favorable whistle probably going forward.”
The Kings have owned a slight edge in fouls called through the first two games, with 51 compared to the Warriors’ 48. They have shot 16 more free-throw attempts, although that can be explained by Sacramento’s willingness to drive into the paint and Golden State’s reliance on the outside shot. More than half (52.3 percent) of the Warriors’ field-goal attempts have come from beyond the arc in this series, compared to 36.8 percent for the Kings.
Entering the series, Brown -- named the first unanimous Coach of the Year in NBA history Wednesday -- highlighted two keys to beat the Warriors: Be physical, and play with pace. He added a third “P” ahead of Game 3.
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“I said we’ve got to have poise. If the whistle is not in our favor tomorrow night and going forward, we can’t react,” Brown said. "We’ve just got to keep playing our game and try to find a way to get a win.”
Physicality, pace and poise. The Kings built a two-games-to-none series lead using those three factors, and plan to carry them into Chase Center.