Kings observations: Missed shots, costly turnovers lead to loss vs. Warriors
What we learned as Kings' sloppy play leads to loss vs. Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Kings entered Game 3 with a 2-0 best-of-seven series lead and a chance to put the Golden State Warriors in an uncomfortable position.
To date, there never has been a successful comeback from a 3-0 series deficit in the NBA playoffs.
Golden State had to win this game. The team knew it. Fans, with their bright yellow “Gold Blooded” t-shirts knew it. Even the Kings knew the Warriors were going to do whatever they could to avoid falling on the wrong side of history, they just couldn’t find the answers to it on Thursday night at Chase Center.
Here are the takeaways from the Kings' 114-97 loss.
Not very neighborly
Domantas Sabonis did not receive a warm welcome from Warriors fans on Thursday.
They had their reasons, of course, after Sabonis and Draymond Green got into a fourth-quarter mix-up in Sacramento’s emotional Game 2 win at Golden 1 Center which resulted in Green’s ejection and, eventually, a one-game suspension that kept Green sidelined for Thursday’s pivotal contest.
Chase Center erupted with boos when the 7-foot center’s name was announced just before tip-off. But no way did it end there.
Every single time Sabonis touched the ball from then on out, those same boos came out and grew louder each and every time.
From time to time, it seemed like it worked. But when the outside noise, which Sabonis did his best to block out over the past two days, turned into inside noise at Chase Center -- it became just too intense.
Big man battles continue
Despite the “dirty play” narrative that, at times, has overshadowed this series, Warriors center Kevon Looney said Sabonis’ style of play is “pretty normal.” OK. Let the guys play.
Looney fouled out of Game 2 and had to be careful but just as aggressive in Game 3. He was. With Green out for Golden State, Looney had to step up more than usual. He did.
It’s nothing new for “Iron Man” Looney. He’s been doing it all season. His impact sometimes can get overlooked, but his aggressiveness on the boards has been a game-changer for the Warriors all season and continued to be in Game 3.
Looney had the edge slightly over Sabonis’ 16 rebounds, finishing with 20 rebounds. His offensive rebounding specifically was huge, as there were a couple of instances where an offensive board led to a momentum-shifting 3-pointer or easy second-chance bucket for Golden State.
The answer to it seems simple. Find a body. Box out. Rebound. Looney can make that extremely hard for opponents, though, and the Kings need to figure it out before Game 4.
Mr. Clutch not enough
De’Aaron Fox. Fourth-quarter Fox. Mr. Clutch Player of the Year. Whatever you want to call him, he was alive and well on Thursday.
He finished with his third consecutive playoff game with at least 20 points. Fox dropped 26 points on 9-of-22 shooting from the field and 3 of 9 from deep, along with 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals.
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When the deficit felt out of reach for the Kings, there was Fox doing what he does best. He served as the crowd silencer at times.
At the end for Sacramento, though, even the Clutch Player of the Year wasn’t enough.
