SAN FRANCISCO -- The sun was out and the birds were chirping as the Kings and the Golden State Warriors faced off in a matinee NBA playoff Game 4 matchup on Sunday at Chase Center.
Coming off a tough 17-point loss in Game 3 on Thursday, the Kings kept their heads down and focused on Sunday in hopes of extending their 2-1 best-of-seven series lead.
But they fell just short. One point was all the difference in Sunday’s loss and now the Kings head back to Sacramento with the series tied 2-2.
Here are the takeaways from Sacramento’s 126-125 loss.
Just as he predicted
Kings rookie Keegan Murray struggled in the first three games of the series, but the 22-year-old stayed confident and knew his time would come.
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Mike Brown and the team continued encouraging the young rookie, and when asked if he was ready for his breakout playoff game after practice on Saturday, Murray responded: “I feel like I’m due.”
Oh yes, he was.
Murray had more points in the first half of Game 4 (15) than he did in the first three games combined (10).
He finished Sunday’s game with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and made five of his seven 3-point attempts, along with seven boards.
His five 3-pointers made him the 11th rookie in NBA history with five or more 3s in a playoff game.
A little patience, and a lot of confidence, go a long way.
The crowd silencer
The atmosphere at Chase Center was deafening at times on Sunday, but De’Aaron Fox’s game spoke just a little bit louder.
Anytime the Warriors went on a little run, Fox demanded the ball and did what he does best. Warriors fans had just seconds to celebrate a bucket before Fox used his speed to go baseline-to-baseline and deliver for the Kings on the other end.
Silence.
It’s what he does. The 25-year-old All-Star thrives in these types of environments. Making his first playoff appearance, the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year has taken his regular-season excellence to the postseason.
And all fans could do was watch, silently.
Superstar showdown
Steph Curry. De’Aaron Fox.
One star point guard experiencing his first NBA playoffs. The other experiencing his ninth.
Both did what they were supposed to for their respective teams and put on a show that had fans at Chase Center on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer.
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Curry finished with 32 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field and 5 of 11 from downtown, along with five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Meanwhile, Fox had a game-high 38 points on 14-of-31 shooting from the field and 4 of 11 from 3-point range. He added nine rebounds, five assists and one steal.
No matter who you root for, it’s safe to say the show these two are putting on is nothing short of excellent.