Barnes, Kings share thoughts on final possession of Game 4

It was a look at the most three-point shooters would have felt good taking in a late-game situation.

Down by one. Two seconds on the clock. An open look.

Harrison Barnes let a game-winning three-pointer fly as the Sacramento Kings’ chances of taking a 3-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors appeared more likely as the basketball floated toward the basket.

Instead of looking forward to a potential series-clinching Game 5 at home on Wednesday night, the postgame conversation surrounding Sacramento revolved around the game’s final possession. The game-winning attempt was a great look, one that many Kings players said they felt confident in as soon as the ball left Barnes’ hands.

Barnes’ triple hit back-iron as Golden State celebrated a thrilling 126-125 win to tie this best-of-seven series at 2-2, setting the stage for a massive Game 5 that will take place at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.

WARRIORS GET THE STOP.
SERIES TIED AT 2-2. pic.twitter.com/S1jkecKq0y

— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2023

The fact that Sunday’s game came down to a Harrison Barnes three-point attempt has been a tough pill to swallow around the Kings fanbase, especially when you factor in De’Aaron Fox’s incredible 38-point performance.

With the game on the line and the ball in Sacramento’s possession, the Kings were set up for an ideal scenario. There has been a deep level of confidence in Fox, this year’s NBA Clutch Player of the Year award winner, to close out any game that comes down to the final possession, and here was another opportunity for the All-Star to add to his collection of game-winning highlight plays.

Fox received the inbound pass and was put in an ideal matchup with Stephen Curry after Barnes’ screen forced the Warriors to switch former Defensive Player of the Year winner Draymond Green off of Fox.

As Fox made his move, Curry poked the ball free, forcing Fox to change his course of direction and dribble straight into a Curry-Green double-team. This freed up Barnes, who sat beyond the perimeter with plenty of breathing room. Fox made the pass to Barnes, who let it fly–but the shot didn’t fall, and this incredibly competitive series will now go at least six games.

The missed game-winner stung for several reasons, but one aspect that has received plenty of attention–even before what happened near the end of Game 4–was the Barnes-Warriors dynamic.

Harrison Barnes was drafted by Golden State in 2012 and became a key contributor to the team’s emergence as a perennial playoff contender and 2015 NBA championship run.

While Barnes found early-career success with the Warriors, his exit from the organization took place on the heels of a blown 3-1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals–a series that saw the forward shoot 31 percent from beyond the three-point line.

Barnes’ struggles from deep during the 2016 NBA Finals have been topic of discussion among the Warriors fanbase for years.

The forward’s departure for Dallas in the Summer of 2016 paved the way for Kevin Durant’s arrival in the Bay Area, a move that was made possible by a Draymond Green phone call to the superstar in the parking lot of Oracle Arena following Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

“I have nothing but fond memories of my time with Golden State,” Barnes told The Athletic’s Sam Amick in a one-on-one interview that took place before this Kings-Warriors series tipped off.

“Obviously, I think losing the Finals is always going to leave a black eye in terms of how things went, and obviously, they’ve gone on to have success since. But I don’t have any ill feelings towards anybody in that organization.”

Fast forward to the final 10 seconds of Game 4, and Harrison Barnes had his opportunity to silence the naysayers in the Warriors fanbase and beyond with a game-winning triple.

The shot was no good, but it’s an attempt that Barnes and the rest of his teammates felt confident about upon the release.

“[Barnes] just went to set the pick-and-roll. We just wanted to flatten the defense out and say, hey, we are going to live with Fox shooting the ball,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said when asked to break down the game’s final play.

“[Barnes] decided to go set a pick-and-roll with Fox to get the switch. Got the switch, and we got a wide-open three. It was just as much on us as it was anything else because we got a great look from one of our veterans, and we just ended up missing a shot.”

Kings vs. Warriors is now guaranteed to go at least 6 games.

The stage is set for a massive Game 5 at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night–the biggest game in the building’s seven-year history.

"We need to bring it, or we're going to get beat."https://t.co/F3jVkJW6uy

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) April 24, 2023

“When [Barnes] shot it, I always think when he shoots, it’s going to go in,” rookie Keegan Murray said of the attempt. “I was just under the basket. I thought it was going to go in. Looked good and hit the back of the iron. We’ll take that any day of the week.”

“Yeah, you know obviously it would have been big if he knocked that down for the team and for him but we trust him with that shot every day,” Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis said of Barnes’ game-winning look. “That’s his spot, and we couldn’t get a more open look.”

Barnes, who is shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc this season, said postgame that he had a clean look because of the double-team that was thrown at Fox.

The 30-year-old added that he isn’t going to let the failed attempt sit with him mentally, citing his ability to bounce-back from the criticism he received following the 2016 postseason.

“After you learn to put yourself together after 2016, one shot isn’t going to necessarily faze you. For me, it’s all about trusting the process. We got a good look and missed it. At the end of the day, the way that we’re playing, where the series is at, we just have to continue to do that and get better.”

Barnes and the Kings will have a chance to bounce back at home on Wednesday in a massive Game 5 matchup, but Sacramento might have to do so without the services of De’Aaron Fox (finger).

If Fox is unable to go, Sacramento is going to need a lot more from its contributing cast if they are to defeat Golden State and take a 3-2 series lead.

Eyes will be on players like Barnes as the Kings will hope to band together and pick up a win to regain control of this series.

Maybe Harrison Barnes will get another shot at beating his former team. We’ll find out in the coming days as this series nears its climax.

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule

NBA Western Conference Playoffs – First Round

• Wednesday, April 26th – Game 5: Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PST
• Friday, April 28th – Game 6**: Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors – TBD
• Sunday, April 30th – Game 7**: Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors – TBD

**If necessary

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