Curry’s Crushed: Warriors Eliminated by Kings in Painful Loss

The Golden State Warriors reached the end of the road for them in the 2023-24 NBA season, as their dreams of winning another NBA title with the core of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson got ruined in a blowout loss to the Sacramento Kings Tuesday night, 118-94.

The Warriors are used to winning, so taking an early vacation after such a horrible loss to the Kings, and with the lackluster performance they showed in a crucial matchup, must sting for Curry and company. It is a pain that will not go away soon, especially when considering the possibility that the Warriors might have just played their last game with their Big Three on the same boat.

Stephen Curry on the Warriors’ loss to the Kings

Curry reflected on the loss in the Play-in Tournament against Sacramento, but also was classy enough to acknowledge the Kings’ brilliance in the contest.

“You can’t win it every year, but there was so much belief that we could make something of this season and keep our hopes alive, try to get a win tonight and taking it from there. Sacramento played unbelievable tonight,” Curry said after the game, per Jack Winter of ClutchPoints.

For most of the contest, it looked as though the Kings were the hungrier squad and the one with the most focus on the game. There’s quantitative proof for that. Sacramento finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds and 49 boards overall, more than seven in each category than what the Warriors had. The Kings’ eagerness to hunt the ball and win the possession battle led to a massive advantage in terms of field goal attempts over Golden State, 98-80. The Dubs didn’t help their cause by repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot with 16 turnovers.

Sacramento’s effort translated into on-court success, with each extra possession feeding the Kings’ confidence. The Kings went 18/39 from behind the arc. While the Kings kept on finding their shots from deep, the Warriors managed to go only 10/32 from 3-point distance, with Thompson laying a huge egg on a brutal 0/10 shooting from the floor (0/6 on threes).

“They played aggressive. Keegan’s making shots, D-Fox is creating. Seemed like they got every 50-50 loose ball, offensive rebound. It was tough way to end our years for sure. We’ve obviously been through so much all year. These last two months gave ourselves a chance to be in this situation where you win one game, win one game you’re right where you expect to be. But we’re going home. Definitely disappointing to say the least, but you hold your head high knowing there’s a lot more in the tank. For me personally, that’s the mindset.”

With Thompson misfiring, Curry was left with a heavier burden to carry the Warriors’ offense, but his 22 points to lead the team was simply not enough to even put Golden State within close distance of the Kings when it was all said and done.

The Warriors entered the win-or-go-home contest against Sacramento with considerable momentum, as they won four of their last five games in the regular season, but it all ultimately went for naught. Golden State now faces many questions in the offseason with regard to its roster and future. Curry and Green are still under contract with the Warriors for multiple more years, but it’s a much different scenario for Thompson, who can be a free agent in the offseason.