Kings End Warriors Season in 118-94 Play-In Tournament Win

The Sacramento Kings got their revenge and are now one win away from a playoff appearance.

Apr 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) is guarded by Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13). / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings have had their ups and downs throughout the 2023-24 season, but it could not have gotten much better than Tuesday's win over the Golden State Warriors. After losing five of their last seven regular season games, the Kings fell to ninth in the Western Conference, setting up a 2023 playoffs rematch with Golden State.

Tuesday's matchup in Sacramento was one of the Kings' best performances of the season, coming at the right time. This was the first game the Kings have faced elimination since Game 7 of their 2023 first-round series against Golden State, where the Warriors ended Sacramento's season. This year, the Kings flipped the script and got their sweet revenge.

Star sophomore Keegan Murray led the way for the Kings with a game-high 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 made three-pointers. His sophomore counterpart, Keon Ellis, has emerged as one of the league's brightest young stars late in the season, and he showed out on Tuesday. Ellis drew the defensive assignment of Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, holding him to 22 points and forcing six turnovers while stacking up three steals and three blocks.

Sacramento's starting five combined for 104 points, outscoring the entire Warriors team. The balanced team performance put them over the edge, and shooting an impressive 46.2% from deep certainly helped out as well.

The lowlight of the game was the performance from Golden State's Klay Thompson, who shot an abysmal 0-10 and failed to score a single point. Many fans have begun to wonder if Tuesday's game in Sacramento was Thompson's last appearance in a Warriors uniform, and if so, it was certainly not the way the five-time All-Star wanted to go out.

The Kings move on to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday in a win-or-go-home game. The winner of Friday's matchup will get the eighth seed in the playoffs and face the first-seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, while the loser gets sent into the off-season.

The Kings are a shocking 0-5 against the Pelicans this season, but Friday is Sacramento's chance to flip the script and secure their second consecutive playoff berth.

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