Golden State Warriors hang on to tie series after crazy, error-filled final minute

Game management had been an issue for the Golden State Warriors during the regular season, and that tendency almost came back to bite them in season-changing fashion on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately for the defending champions, their errors didn’t prove fatal as they tied their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings at 2-2.

Up five and with possession with less than 45 seconds to play, the Warriors looked in control after a see-sawing wave of momentum throughout the game. Yet the swings would continue in the final minute as Golden State mistakes gifted Sacramento a chance to win it at the final buzzer.

The Golden State Warriors survived a mighty scare to claim a 126-125 win over the Sacramento Kings, in doing so setting up a best-of-three game series.

The frantic activity truly began when Stephen Curry called a timeout in the backcourt with the Warriors holding that aforementioned five-point lead. The problem was they didn’t have a timeout to take — Steve Kerr had unwisely used his last one to challenge an offensive foul call on Kevon Looney 90 seconds earlier.

It gifted Sacramento a free-throw, which Malik Monk converted, and then gave them possession. Harrison Barnes’ first three was off the mark, but Klay Thompson was unable to secure the rebound as the Kings barely stayed alive. They were fully resuscitated though when De’Aaron Fox nailed the last of his 38 points on a tough three over Draymond Green. One-point game with 27.5 seconds left.

Curry’s management of the next possession could have been better too. Sure, an open floater was an efficient shot to take, but he missed and left the Kings 10.5 seconds to take a 3-1 lead and put the Warriors on the brink of elimination.

He would make up for it on the other end as he and Green bottled up Fox just enough to prevent the ‘Clutch Player of the Year’ from taking the final shot. Instead, a decent Barnes look from the wing hit back iron to allow Golden State to escape from potential disaster.

It had been the Curry and Fox show for the majority of the fourth-quarter, while Green signified his return from suspension with a number of crucial defensive plays that exercised his greatness. In a surprise move, the former Defensive Player of the Year came off the bench in a playoff game for the first time in nearly nine years. However, Green would start the second-half and close out the game as the Warriors desperately tried to keep their season alive.

Golden State had threatened to make a decisive move in the opening period, but it was Sacramento who actually held a one-point lead after 12 on the back of a 7-0 run to close. A wildly fluctuating second-quarter saw the Kings extend their lead to nine, the Warriors come back to tie it, the visitors push it back to nine, and then eventually finish the half with a 69-65 lead.

The Warriors’ patented third-quarters came in strong fashion though, with Thompson’s corner three at the buzzer capping off a 37-23 period that turned a four-point deficit into a ten-point lead. The Kings, defined by their offensive explosiveness, were far from done, beginning the fourth on a 15-4 run to re-take the lead. From there both teams had their fare share of mistakes and lack of offensive execution, with neither taking a stranglehold until Golden State looked comfortable in the final minute.

Nothing has been comfortable about this Warrior season, and so it was only fitting that they’d make things difficult for themselves once again. A win is a win though, and in the grand scheme of everything, that’s all that matters.

Curry had 32 points, Thompson 26 and Jordan Poole 22 as the guard trio combined for 80 points on an efficient 28-for-52 (53.8%) from the field. Andrew Wiggins added 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and four blocks as he continues to make an incredibly strong return after the extended 25-game absence.

The Warriors attacked the paint at will against the unintimidating presence of Domantas Sabonis, with the Kings actually taking one more three-point attempt as both teams nailed 14 apiece. Golden State won the free-throw battle by seven, crucially knocking down 22 of their 24 attempts at the charity stripe.

The teams will return to Sacramento for Game 5 on Wednesday as the pressure tilts back towards the Kings. One can’t comprehend how different this would be had Barnes completed an almighty act of revenge.