Draymond Green expects hostile environment vs. Kings
The Golden State Warriors will face the Sacramento Kings in the first game of the play-in tournament on Tuesday (April 16). The Warriors finished the regular season as the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Whoever wins Tuesday’s matchup will face the loser of the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans for the chance to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.
When speaking to the media following the Warriors 123-116 victory over the Utah Jazz on Sunday (April 14), Green discussed the environment that awaits the Warriors in Sacramento. He also noted how both teams have familiarity with each other, which could lead to a difficult and competitive game.
“It’s always a playoff-type game,” Green said. “You feel that. You go into their arena, and their fans want to light the beam and see us lose and beat the crap out of us. They come in here and we want to beat the crap out of them. Lot of familiarity between the two organizations. Even beyond just us going out and playing the amount of games against each other over the past couple of years…It kind has brewed into that. For us, it’s another game that we have to go win…We got to go get it done.”
The Warriors have tied their season series against the Kings this season, with both teams winning two of their four games. Sacramento’s fast-paced style of play is always an exciting hurdle for an aging Warriors team to overcome. Nevertheless, Golden State’s experience and star talent should level the playing field.
"Their fans want to light the beam and see us lose and beat the crap out of us."
Draymond addresses the Sacramento atmosphere that awaits Golden State in Tuesday's win-or-go-home clash pic.twitter.com/Lq75v6kMao
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 15, 2024
The Warrior recently turned a corner on their season and ended the season strong. They will need to lean into that production and momentum if they are to stand a chance of processing into the playoffs and making some noise.
