Shorthanded Kings lock up 3rd seed in Playoffs, lose to Warriors

Apr 7, 2023, 9:51 PM | Updated: 9:55 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 07: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors gets fouled by Al...

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

As the Memphis Grizzlies took on a short-handed Milwaukee Bucks team on Friday, Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown opted to sit De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, Kevin Huerter, and Malik Monk against the Golden State Warriors.

A Grizzlies win over Milwaukee would lock in the second seed, and Memphis didn’t have any trouble handling the Bucks as they put a bow on the two-spot just as action between the Kings and Warriors got underway.

With Sacramento officially locked into the third-seed spot in the Western Conference playoffs, the shorthanded Kings took their shot at a Warriors team that was going full tilt to secure its own top-six spot in the standings.

Golden State needed a win if they wanted to avoid a potential appearance in the Play-In tournament, and they did so by beating a Kings team that was without the services of three starters and a sixth man. A strong second half put the Warriors over the top late, as Golden State outscored the Kings 66-49 during the final 24 minutes of play to pull out a 119-97 win.

Although Sacramento played in a game that didn’t have much meaning on their end, here are some thoughts on the Kings’ final home game of the regular season.

Day tossing it up to Keegan for the alley-oop! 😲@hoopculture13 🤝 Keegan Murray pic.twitter.com/EH9i7s3moV

— P – Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 8, 2023

A Fun Second Quarter

It seemed as if Friday’s game would be a laugher from the get as Golden State quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead during the first quarter.

The Kings opened up the second quarter trailing 32-16, but a bench unit that included PJ Dozier, Trey Lyles, Kessler Edwards, and Richaun Holmes helped inject life into Sacramento offense. Thanks to a 19-4 run, the Kings trimmed the Warriors’ lead to just one point before Golden State increased the gap to 54-48 at the break.

While the short gap between the two teams would be short-lived, it was an impressive showing from Sacramento’s deep bench as the Kings held a clear advantage during the Warriors’ Steph Curry-less minutes.

Why not let it fly 🤷‍♂️@Rich_Holmes22 knocks down the triple 🙌 pic.twitter.com/T5CYmM5MSC

— P – Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 8, 2023

Golden State’s 22-7 run to open up third quarter put the Warriors ahead by double-digits and they didn’t look back, but the Kings kept themselves within striking distance until the final 10 minutes of regulation.

Mezzie’s Minutes

Chimezie Metu logged 17 minutes of playing time on Friday night, which marked the big man’s first game having played more than 13 minutes since February 24th.

The 26-year-old finished the night with 15 points and nine rebounds on five-of-eight shooting in his return to the floor, which ended with some notable comments from the veteran center.

“They’re the defending champs. It’s going to be tough to go in there toe-to-toe, but we’re going to go in there, and we’re going to attack it head-on,” Metu said of the Warriors postgame. “We’re not scared of them. We’re not scared of anybody.”

Another Game, Another Attendance Record

Golden 1 Center has announced a record attendance for the third-straight game–this time, a crowd of 18,253, which is the most in the building’s seven-year history.

An audience that had a healthy mix of Kings and Warriors fans packed the house for what could be a first-round preview. From talking to some fans around the concourse, there were instances of people that sold their season tickets to Golden State fans via resale to recoup some money that was spent on future playoff tickets.

If you thought the presence of Warriors fans was overwhelming, you weren’t alone–there was a noteworthy presence of yellow and blue in the stands.

Come next weekend, the Kings could find themselves matched up against the defending champions in Game 1, but this time I would expect a heavier dose of purple and black as season ticket holders take their seats for the franchise’s first playoff appearance in 17 years.

Playoff Preview?

Will these two teams run it back next weekend for Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs?

If the Warriors win its final game of the season on Sunday and the Los Angeles Clippers win its final two games (Saturday vs. Portland and Sunday @ Phoenix), Sacramento will face the Warriors in the first round.

Of course, anything is possible in the NBA, and a combination of chaos could match the Kings up against the Clippers or New Orleans Pelicans instead, but it is looking increasingly likely that we will have a battle of I-80 in the postseason.

Quick Hits

Golden State turned the ball over 24 times versus Sacramento’s 12
Kevon Looney gave the Kings fits in the paint as the big man pulled down 16 rebounds (five offensive). Domantas Sabonis was missed in the paint, as Sacramento was outrebounded 47-40 during the loss.
Trey Lyles added 15 points (six-of-12 shooting) over 22 minutes off the bench.

Next Game

Sacramento will get one final tune-up game on Sunday when they wrap up the regular season against the top-seed Denver Nuggets.

Both teams will likely sit all or most of their top-of-the-rotation pieces as the Nuggets and Kings rest up for the first round of the NBA Playoffs, meaning that we will see a heavy dose of players like PJ Dozier, Kessler Edwards, Keon Ellis, and Neemias Queta

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Nuggets coverage right here on Sactown Sports 1140 beginning at 11:00 AM PST on Game Night with Scott Marsh and Henry ‘The High Flyer’ Turner before a 12:30 PM PST tip-off from ‘The Mile High City.’