NBA playoffs: Warriors cruise to Game 3 win vs. Kings without Draymond Green
The Golden State Warriors aren't done yet.
With Draymond Green suspended and their backs against the wall in their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings, the Warriors pulled out a 114-97 win in Game 3 to avoid an 0-3 hole. Now down 2-1, they will play a pivotal Game 4 on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in San Francisco.
It was a wire-to-wire win for Golden State, which never trailed and built up a double-digit lead late in the second quarter. The Kings never got the lead down to fewer than 7 points after that.
Green's controversial suspension for a stomp of Domantas Sabonis loomed large entering the game, with the defending champs missing their defensive leader against the NBA's leader in offensive efficiency this season. After allowing 126 and 114 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively, the Warriors defense held the Kings to 38% shooting (23.9% from deep) with 15 turnovers.
“Yesterday, at practice, we had really good energy understanding what the mission was, to understand that we couldn’t change anything about the decision that we knew was wrong,” Warriors star Stephen Curry said on “Inside The NBA” after the game. “But if we could come out and win tonight, it changes the momentum of the series. It gives us an opportunity to just make it about basketball. … When he gets back on Sunday, we gotta capitalize off of that and try to win and even up the series. We did what we were supposed to do.
“They say Draymond’s got a history. So do we.”
"They say Draymond's got a history, so do we."
Steph on how the Warriors bounced back in Game 3 pic.twitter.com/31n31qq023— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 21, 2023
Warriors make adjustments in Game 3
The Warriors started Jordan Poole in Green's place, but the players who had to step up were Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga. Both saw increased minutes in Green's absence and pulled their weight, combining for 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with 5 rebounds.
JK soars to the rim ✈️ pic.twitter.com/efuyiVzNVe
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 21, 2023
Curry unsurprisingly led the way on offense, finishing with 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting (6-of-12 from deep), while Kevon Looney showed his value with 20 rebounds and 9 assists.
This was the Kings' chance to push the Warriors to the brink. After a near-perfect start to the series in Sacramento, the team is now facing the prospect of a Game 4 with Green playing in a raucous Chase Center. They still have home-court advantage, no small thing given the Warriors' bizarre home-road splits, but opportunities like Thursday are the kind you don't want to squander when you're trying to ascend into the NBA elite.
They can only hope they don't end up regretting it.
