Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) takes an off balance shot against the Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (right) in the second half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Tue Apr 16, 2024 (AP News photo)
By Jerry Feitelberg
The Golden State Warriors, the tenth seed in the Western Conference, had to play the ninth seed, the Sacramento Kings, at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The winner of the game would play the loser of the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.
The Warriors played well on the road and were 16-4 in the last 20 games away from the Chase Center. The Kings were seeking revenge as the Warriors beat them in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.
That loss to the Warriors left a bad taste in the mouths of the Kings’ players. The Kings got their revenge as they blew away the Warriors to earn the right to play the Pelicans on Friday night in New Orleans. The final score was 118-94.
The Warriors had one of their worst games in the 2023-2024 season. The Warriors committed too many turnovers in the first half. Their defense was non-existent. The offense went to sleep. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson put five points on the board in the first half. Curry made the five points. Thompson was scoreless.
Warriors fans counted on Thompson and Curry to lead the charge in the second half. That did not happen. Curry finished with 22 points. Curry did not make a basket and finished the game scoreless. I don’t remember Thompson being held to zero points in a game. The margin of victory over the Warriors was the largest since 2006.
The Warriors led 8-6 early in the first quarter. The Kings went ahead 11-8 and never relinquished the lead. Sacramento finished the first quarter leading 31-22. The Kings led by 14, 48-34. The Warrior’s offense began to click, and they closed the deficit to four points at the end of the first half. The Kings led 54-50.
The Warriors made a run early in the second half to trail by one, 56-55. The Kings’ fans were starting to squirm. The Warriors, famous for owning the third quarter, had the tables turned on them. The Kings’ offense came to life. Keegan Murray continued to make shots. Murray had 14 points in the first quarter and four threes in the first half and continued hitting shots from downtown. Sabonis continued to clog the middle and block shots. Sabonis finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
The Kings won the third quarter 37-26 to lead by 15, 91-76.
The rout was on. Sacramento continued to stop the Warrior offense. Domantas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes, Murray, and D’Aaron Fox made key buckets. The Warriors’ offense went to sleep. The game was over when the Kings led 105-86 with 5:29 left to play.
Game Notes: The Warriors’ season is over. Many people are now speculating about the team’s future. Thompson will be a free agent. Thompson had expressed interest in finishing his Hall of Fame career with Golden State. Hopefully, the Warriors’ management and Thompson can agree soon.
Other players may be elsewhere next year, including Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul, Dario Saric, and Kevon Looney. Wiggins’s scoring went down this year. Wiggins is owed a bundle of money, and the Warriors may trade him to reduce payroll.
The veteran playmaker Chris Paul is 38 years old. Letting Paul seek employment elsewhere will also reduce payroll significantly. Saric was relegated to the bench due to Trayce Jackson-Davis’s improvement at the center position.
Saric earned a little, but he probably did better elsewhere. Kevon Looney was the starter at the center spot early in the season. The Warriors’ head coach adjusted his rotation later in the season. Looney became a fixture on the second unit. Looney never complained and stayed ready even though his minutes on the court were diminished.
Murray led his team to the Friday night game against the Pelicans. Murray finished the game with 32 points and connected on nine threes. Former Warriors Harrison Barnes added 17. Keon Ellis, an undrafted rookie from Alabama, had 15 points and made three threes. Fox added 24. Malik Monk, who torched the Warriors, was unavailable due to an injury. The Kings’ Kevin Huerter was also unavailable.
The Warriors will now watch the playoffs from their homes.Curry will play for the United States at the Olympics in Paris, France, this summer.
It was a remarkable season. The Warriors needed help finding their rhythm early in the season. They lost games when they had big leads heading into the fourth quarter. They got into gear when Kerr put Jackson-Davis into the second unit.
Thompson, a starter for his entire career, was sent to the bench. Thompson responded by getting back to the player of old. Jonathan Kuminga raised his game to a higher level. Brandin Podziemski, picked 19th in the first round, exceeded expectations. Podziemski played well on both ends of the court. Moses Moody, fighting for playing time, will be someone the Warriors will play more next year. Moody gave the Warriors a spark in the third quarter.
The Warriors played better on the road this season. They won two more games than they did last year. The competition in the Western Conference has caught up with the Warriors. The OKC Thunder finished as the one seed in the Conference.
The Denver Nuggets, with Nikola Jokic, are preparing to repeat as NBA Champions. The Minnesota Timberwolves are right behind those two teams in talent. The Wolves are built around Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Houston Rockets are on the rise.
The Kings beat the Pelicans on Friday to become the eighth seed. If they win, they will face the number one seed, the OKC Thunder.
That’s it for the season. It was very interesting to watch the Warriors in 2023-2024. Let’s hope they draft some players to return them to the top.
Adios