The Warriors were victorious in Game 5 of their opening-round series with the Kings 123-116 on Wednesday night at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The win, which is the Warriors’ third consecutive win, gives them a 3-2 series lead and keeps their title defense up.
With the loss, the Kings are now at the brink of blowing a 2-0 series lead in what is their first playoff appearance in 16 seasons. The Warriors have won 14 of their last 15 games at the Chase Center, with Game 6 set for Friday night.
The Kings started the game well with a 10-point lead late in the first quarter before the Warriors started to turn things around. The Warriors closed the first half on an 11-0 run, which gave them a four-point lead. Klay Thompson had 11 of his 16 first-half points in the second quarter and shot 4 of 6 from behind the arc.
The Warriors continued, pushing the lead to nine after the third quarter, and then quickly doubled the numbers early in the fourth quarter.
It was then Malik Monk who almost single-handedly brought the Kings right back in it midway through the fourth. Monk sparked a 13-2 run midway through the period, and scored all but four points in that time, to suddenly cut the game back to a single point. The only Warriors bucket in that nearly five-minute span came from a Gary Payton II layup.
Andrew Wiggins hit a midrange jumper with 48 seconds left to push the Warriors back up by five points, and then Stephen Curry gave an eight-point lead. By then, it was too late for the Kings to change the tides and Golden State held on to take the seven-point win.
De’Aaron Fox led the Kings with 24 points and 9 assists with a broken finger, and Domantas Sabonis finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Monk finished with 21 points off the bench.
Curry led the Warriors with 31 points and 8 assists with 2 of 10 shots from the 3-point line. Thompson added 25 points, and Wiggins finished with 20 points. Warriors center Kevon Looney, despite having only two layups, had an incredible 22 rebounds.
Draymond Green had 21 points off the bench, the most points he’s scored in a game since Christmas 2019. Green was ejected from the Warriors’ last game with the Kings due to a foul when he stepped on Domantas Sabonis’ chest
The Golden State Warriors will play their Game 6 on Friday night at the Chase Center in San Francisco and if they win, they will move on to their seventh Western Conference semifinals in the last nine years.
