The Golden State Warriors won a stunning 126-125 Game 4 victory in a game they desperately needed to win it . The victory ties their series with the Sacramento Kings at two games apiece, and both teams will return to Sacramento for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Prior to the game on Sunday, the major news was the return of Warriors player Draymond Green after his one-game suspension in Game 3. However, head coach Steve Kerr chose to ride the momentum from the previous game and have Green come off the bench in Game 4.
Green’s 31 minutes were not significantly different from his regular per-game norms. He still played an important part in closing out quarters, and the spacing provided by Golden State’s two bigs was critical to the offense’s success. The results were clear early on, as Golden State scored their first eight points near the rim; nevertheless, reckless errors plagued them as the Kings took an early 15-14 lead.
The Kings concluded the first quarter with a 32-31 lead after going on an 11-3 surge. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that was only the start of a strong Sacramento run, as the Kings also came out hot to start the second quarter. They scored 13 points in the first three minutes of the second quarter and appeared to be unable to miss from deep.
The Warriors urgently needed a response, and they got one in the shape of a 9-0 run to level the game at 45. After that, it was a game of runs, with both teams trading three-pointers to end the first half with the Warriors behind 69-65.
The Warriors Big Third Quarter
The Warriors outscored the Kings 37-23 in the third quarter to take a 10-point advantage into the fourth. Kerr elected to keep Curry in the game to begin the fourth quarter, but the Kings, undaunted by the Warriors’ offensive outburst, took the title punch and responded with a swift 7-0 run of their own.
Both teams fought hard throughout the game, which inevitably came down to the wire. Every key possession had supporters holding their breath, but with the Warriors leading 126-121, Curry called a timeout when there were none remaining.