The Golden State Warriors meet the Sacramento Kings at the Chase Center on Sunday afternoon in a critical Western Conference matchup.
The most recent Injury Report for Golden State Warriors vs. Sacramento Kings
FOR THE WARRIORS
What’s turning into one of the most amazing point guard battles in recent postseason history continues Sunday in San Francisco, when Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors seek to level their Western Conference first-round series against Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings.
Golden State dominated on Thursday night, which was not unexpected given their great home record this season.
With a 34-8 home record this season, they’ll enjoy their chances on Sunday, even against one of the league’s up-and-coming teams.
Curry scored 36 points, half of which came on 3-pointers, in Golden State’s 114-97 home triumph Thursday night, putting the team in the best-of-seven series.
Kevon Looney had a remarkable 20-rebound, nine-assist game for the Warriors in Game 3, and the Golden State center also earned the most of the defensive assignment on Kings co-star Domantas Sabonis due to Draymond Green’s one-game suspension.
The ability to welcome back Draymond Green from suspension is guaranteed to energize the crowd, further enhancing their home-court edge.
There’s a reason the Warriors are the defending NBA champions, and they’re not going to waste an opportunity at home.
There aren’t many offenses that can match Sacramento’s tempo, but Golden State can. They are second in the league in scoring and three-point shooting, and their attack is still loaded with explosive scorers.
Curry has scored more than 30 points per game in the first three games of the series, but he will almost certainly be assigned to the Kings’ top defensive assignment.
With the defense stepping up and Green joining them, they should be ready to go in this one.
Injuries are a little more worrying for the Warriors in this one, especially given their inexperienced backcourt.
Jordan Poole (ankle) and Gary Payton II (sickness) are also expected to play, giving them even more depth to count on.
FOR THE KINGS
The Kings took a 2-0 lead following back-to-back home victories to start the series, and while most expected them to struggle on the road, they still have a fantastic chance.
A victory on Sunday would set the tone for their trip back to Sacramento, making it increasingly tough for their opponent to stage a comeback.
The Kings had a solid record on the road this season, going 25-17, but they were unable to win a road game in this series in three attempts this season.
The Kings may be the third seed, but with their momentum and confidence eroding following Thursday’s loss, this could be the most critical game of their season.
Injuries have been kind to the Kings this year, contributing to their remarkable turnaround.
The Kings have one of the league’s greatest offenses, and they’ll need to keep the scoring going if they want to win this one.
They rank top in the league in scoring and second in field-goal efficiency this season.
The issues have come on defense, and they’ll need to keep finding ways to slow down Curry, even if the effort has been an issue.
In any case, they rank 25th in scoring defense and are in the bottom third of the league in a variety of defensive statistics.
De’Aaron Fox has been one of the league’s finest this season, but the X-factor in this one is youngster Keegan Murray.
His 3.3 points per game won’t cut it as a starter for the entire season, and if they can get him making jumpers, it will spread up the offense and have them scoring at their regular season numbers.
As they head into Sunday, they just have one ailment listed: Matthew Dellavedova (finger) is out indefinitely. His absence is unlikely to have an effect on how this one goes.
