Warriors vs. Kings score: Sacramento ends Golden State's season in Play-In Tournament (2024)

Kings on their way to New Orleans

The Kings win the 9-10 game and head to New Orleans for a battle for the No. 8 seed and the right to face the Oklahoma City Thunder. For the Warriors, much more dire questions await, with an aging core and an uncertain future for Klay Thompson.

Do Warriors have one last run?

The Kings have pulled away with a 19-point lead, and the Warriors will need a dramatic run to prolong their season. They've been beaten in every facet of the game tonight, and Keon Ellis has done a tremendous job getting in Steph Curry's jersey. They have championship pedigree, but it's not looking great for Golden State right now.

End of 3rd Quarter - Kings 91, Warriors 76

• Keegan Murray: 26 pts, 6-10 3P
• De'Aaron Fox: 24 pts, 5 ast
• Steph Curry: 16 pts, 1 ast, 4 TOs
• Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins: 12 pts each

Fox killing Warriors ... again

Just like we saw in last year's playoffs, the Warriors have no answer for De'Aaron Fox. The slithery guard has scored 14 points in the third quarter, bringing his total to 24 for the game. Golden State's perimeter defense has struggled to stay in front of quick guards for years, and Fox is as quick as they come. On the other side, the Warriors simply can't generate enough offense with Steph Curry being blanketed by Kings defenders, which has led to the double-digit deficit.

Kuminga starts second half for Jackson-Davis

Kerr isn't wasting anymore time. He starts Jonathan Kuminga in the second half in place of rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis, going with the Draymond Green-at-center lineup that did them so well in the second half of the season.

Halftime - Kings 54, Warriors 50

• Keegan Murray: 16 pts, 4-8 3P
• Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox: 10 pts each
• Jonathan Kuminga: 12 pts, 5 reb
• Steph Curry: 5 pts, 2-5 FG

Kuminga bringing Warriors back

Six quick points from Jonathan Kuminga have brought the Warriors within eight points with three-and-a-half minutes remaining in the first half. From the looks of it, Kerr might stick with this lineup of Curry, Thompson, Podziemski, Kuminga and Draymond Green as his go-to unit.

Brown preaching pace

Moses Moody impact

Moody has been impactful since entering in the second quarter, making a 3-pointer, dishing off to Kevon Looney for an assist and then getting fouled on a 3-point attempt. He also earned two free throws on a cut to the basket. Kerr is searching for some energy, and Moody seems to have been at least a temporary answer.

Kings' hot shooting vs. Warriors' experimentation

The Kings have generated some wide open looks for Keegan Murray, who started the game red hot scoring 14 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting in the first quarter. Meanwhile Steve Kerr has been experimenting with different lineup combinations for the Warriors, with Kevon Looney getting an early shot at defending Domantas Sabonis. You can expect Kerr to trim down the rotation as the game goes along and he sees what's working.

End of 1st Quarter - Kings 31, Warriors 22

• Keegan Murray - 14 pts, 4-7 3P
• De'Aaron Fox - 8 pts, 2 ast
• Draymond Green - 7 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast
• Stephen Curry - 5 pts, 2-3 FG

Starting lineups for Kings-Warriors

Play-In Tournament trends

Since the 7 through 10 play-in tournament began in 2021 ...

• All 6 of the teams that entered in 7th place advanced to the playoffs
• None of 6 teams that entered in 10th place advanced to the playoffs

Both teams that entered last year's play-in tournament in 7th place made a deep run in the playoffs:

• The Heat lost their first play-in game to the Hawks before rebounding to make the NBA Finals as an 8-seed
• The Lakers rallied to defeat the Timberwolves in overtime in their first play-in game, and then proceeded to the make the West Finals

Kings vs. Warriors info

• Date:Tuesday, April 16 |Time: 10 p.m. ET
• Location:Golden 1 Center -- Sacramento
• TV channel:TNT |Live stream: TNT app
  
• Odds:Warriors -2; O/U 226