SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — With a hostile crowd roaring and Sacramento making a big push, the Golden State Warriors did what they often do in their dynasty.
They silenced the crowd and won.
Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Draymond Green had his best scoring game in more than five years and the Warriors earned their first win in their series against Sacramento, beating the Kings 123-116 on Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead.
The Warriors won their road game for an NBA-record 28th straight playoff series, spanning the entire era of Curry, Green and Klay Thompson.
“Their experience playing in a lot of big games over the last decade is definitely helpful,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought they did a great job tonight when Sacramento ran and made some really big plays in the last five minutes to hang on.”
Green had 21 points and seven assists in his first game in Sacramento, then was suspended after being ejected and later for pushing Domantas Sabonis in the chest during the Game 2 loss.
Golden State can now try to end the streak with a fourth straight win at home on Friday night.
“I think this team has really grown together,” Green said. “Every year this team has to grow together. This year has been longer than we are used to. … it’s starting to get better for us.”
The reigning champions, the Warriors, have shown the road prowess they have often lacked this season. Golden State won just 11 games on the road during the regular season and lost its first two games in Sacramento.
“This is a different team than we’ve had all year,” Kerr said. “What happened on the road in November and December and January has nothing to do with it now. This is the team we’re looking at, the team that won the championship last year and won the playoffs on the road. Our guys know how to do it and they did it tonight.”
The Kings trailed by 12 early in the fourth quarter after Curry, but didn’t go away. They trailed by 11 points over the next five minutes after Malik Monk, who went down briefly with a left knee injury — made it a one-point game with just over four minutes left.
The Warriors pulled away late after Monk missed a potential game-tying 3 with 1:04 left.
Andrew Wiggins made a jumper to make it a five-point game, and Curry capped it off with a three-pointer with 22.1 seconds left to make it 122-114.
Thompson added 25 points, Wiggins had 20, and Kevon Looney had a career-high 22 rebounds.
“Big night for us,” Curry said. “You can feel the sense of accomplishment from everyone on the bench and on the floor. … We have work to do. We needed that.”
De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points despite suffering a broken index finger while shooting, while Monk and Sabonis each added 21 points for Sacramento.
Fox went 0-for-6 from the field in the fourth quarter and had a field goal, the most shots he’s had in a fourth quarter without a field goal.
“Yeah, definitely,” coach Mike Brown said.Has Fox’s injury affected him? “He showed a lot of toughness out there in the first place.”
Fox started the contest despite breaking the tip of his index finger on a shot late in Game 4. He played with a splint on his finger and showed no sign of injury, making all three of his long-range attempts in the first. quarter to help Sacramento take a 10-point lead.
The Warriors took the lead in the second quarter, with Thompson hitting three 3-pointers during a 12-0 run that helped Golden State take a 60-56 halftime lead.
“It’s like desperation,” guard Davion Mitchell said. “It’s win or go home. … We have to punch them in the mouth first.”
DRAYMOND OR DIRK
Green has been more aggressive offensively, with 21 points, his most points in a regular season or playoff game since scoring 25 against Phoenix on March 17, 2018. He even made a late jumper that his teammates tied for a point. one of the top scorers.
“They’re calling up Draymond Nowitzki after they’re gone,” Kerr said of the Green vs. Dirk Nowitzki comparison. “Maybe the biggest hit of the game.”
TIPS
Warriors: Curry moved into fifth all-time with 3,727 points in the playoffs, passing Magic Johnson (3,701). … Looney became the first Warriors player since Nate Thurmond in 1972 against Milwaukee to have two games with at least 20 rebounds in a single playoff series.
Kings: Sacramento went from 8-of-12 shooting from 3-point range in the first quarter to 0-of-9 in the second quarter — the most the Kings have missed in any quarter this season. The Kings went 2-for-21 from 3 over the final three quarters.
NEXT
With a win Friday night, the Warriors improve to 19-0 in playoff series against Western Conference teams since Kerr took over in 2014-15.
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