At long last, a road team won. In a pivotal fifth game, the Warriors were vintage. Nails.
Over the past decade, Golden State has never failed to secure at least one road win in the playoffs. Every single series they win on the road. 28 consecutive series with a road win. They’ve still got it, despite their now 12-33 road record this season.
It’s an enormous part of the reason they’ve won four titles in eight years. And with a 123-116 win on Wednesday night in Sacramento, it’s clear the Warriors are making an earnest chance at a fifth.
Draymond plays out of his mind, and what else propelled Warriors
The Warriors hadn’t gotten an offensive performance like this from Draymond Green, well, at any point this season. Not since Christmas of 2019, in fact.
His season high this season was 19 points. He had 19 points going into the fourth quarter on Wednesday night. He finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, a block and 3 turnovers.
This was after Green went 3-of-14 in Game 3 and pointed out his egregious misses on layups. He corrected those errors and was astonishingly good defensively. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant he was in this game, aside from one pretty ugly turnover.
Golden State absolutely needed it, because they weren’t getting the usual from Stephen Curry on offense. It was largely a game of everyone else.
Klay Thompson had 25 points. Andrew Wiggins had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Gary Payton II played with his hair on fire with 8 points, 6 rebounds and a couple steals. Kevon Looney had 22 rebounds and 7 assists.
But because of some missed 3-pointers, the usual turnovers and some foul trouble, things started to get extremely tight in the fourth quarter.
With 5:46 left in the quarter, Curry was 9-of-21 and 2-of-9 from 3-point range with 23 points. He was facilitating, just not hitting from deep. He finished with 31 points (12-of-25, 2-of-10 from 3-pt, hit all five free throws), a couple rebounds, 8 assists, 5 turnovers.
Right after that mark, after the Kings cut the deficit to a point, Curry drove for a ridiculous, contested driving layup. Immediately after that, Andrew Wiggins drove for a similarly insane layup.
Even with those scores, the Warriors looked like they were losing control of the game. Green had a horrible turnover thrown over Klay Thompson’s head that led to Malik Monk free throws and Wiggins’ fifth foul.
With four minutes left, Thompson and Wiggins both had five fouls. Green had four.
All of those guys had excellent performances. If not for Thompson getting into foul trouble — picking up his fourth foul in the early third quarter — Golden State may have been able to pull away earlier.
But after a timeout following that series with 4:14 left, Green woke back up. He hit a mid-range jumper and nabbed an impressive, behind-the-back steal to set up a Thompson jumper.
It was setting up for the Warriors to take a borderline comfortable lead. But Curry just didn’t have it from deep. He had a wide-open 3-point attempt to put Golden State up by eight points inside the final two minutes and missed it.
A Sabonis dunk and a Looney charge followed, leaving the Kings with a three-point deficit.
But it was not to be for Sacramento. Monk missed a 3. Wiggins hit a mid-range. Fox missed a 3. Curry dribbled down the clock and then finished an and-one.
It was an admirable performance from the Kings. It was just better from the Warriors.
A Looney masterclass
All Kevon Looney has done is perform. His best career games have all come in the playoffs, and he’s had some outrageous performances in this series.
He opened this series with a couple of decent games, combining for 14 points, 14 rebounds and a couple blocks.
Then he channeled his 2022 playoffs, Kevon Loo-ajuwon form.
In game three, he had 20 rebounds, nine on the offensive end. In game four? 12 rebounds, 8 points and a block and a steal.
So of course, in the most pivotal game in the series, Looney remained domineering on the glass and on the defensive end.
His previous career high was with 22 rebounds against the Grizzlies last year. On Wednesday, he matched that, tallying 22 rebounds and 7 assists along with 4 points and a block. Seven of his rebounds were on the offensive glass.
Looney’s steadiness is outrageous. He only does winning things. He offered elite interior defense on not just Domantas Sabonis, but everyone who drove into the paint.
Without him, as usual, the Warriors don’t win this game.
De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk grittiness
The entire city of Sacramento sat with bated breath for the last two days. When the news broke that De’Aaron Fox had fractured the index finger of his shooting hand, it felt like a series-altering moment.
He was listed as doubtful, but that didn’t mean much. There was no question that he’d play. But could he shoot? Would he be able to finish at the rim? Would the splint on his finger affect his passing?
Apparently, he was just fine. In the face of all those questions, what did Fox do? He came out and hit his first three shots, all from deep. Not his strong suit, but you’d never know that from the way he’s played this series.
All series long, he’s has done nothing but stun people. He’s shown, in every moment, that he is a franchise-anchoring stud who’s only scratching the surface.
To continue his torrid streak with a broken finger is evidence of his bona fides and his character. He had an outstanding night, but struggled offensively late, finishing with 24 points (9-of-25, 3-of-10 from 3-pt), 7 rebounds, 9 assists, a couple steals, a block, and 6 turnovers.
He seemed to re-aggravate that finger early in the fourth quarter on a steal from Curry. One wonders if the Kings would have won this game if he was fully healthy.
When his scoring went cold in the third and into the fourth, his backcourt partner, Malik Monk, kept the Kings afloat.
Monk just kept driving and driving and driving in the early fourth. One on of those drives, he had an awkward landing, falling over Gary Payton II.
He came up limping, but stayed in the game. And kept driving. He had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Almost all of his points came in the fourth.
The effort and grittiness from Fox and Monk completely outshone the lack of it from their supposed second star, Sabonis. He has been bullied nonstop by Green and Looney, and it might be the difference in the series.