Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry would probably like to forget the final 40 seconds of the Warriors’ win in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings.
With Golden State leading by five in the game’s final minute, Curry found himself trapped with no outlet pass and subsequently called timeout. Unfortunately for Curry, the Warriors had no timeouts remaining, leading to a technical foul and the ball staying with the Kings.
Sacramento proceeded to cut the lead to one on that next sequence, with Malik Monk making the free-throw before De’Aaron Fox nailed a three with 28 seconds left.
Curry then missed a crucial opportunity to at the very least give the Warriors a three-point lead, missing a 16-foot floater with 14 seconds left to give the Kings a shot at the final possession.
“It’s always a balance of playing the clock and trying to find the best shots. Obviously, if I make the floater…you like that position to have one more stop,” Curry said. “I live with that decision.”
Harrison Barnes, who won a championship with the Warriors in 2016, missed a great look from beyond the arc as Golden State hung on for the 126-125 victory to even the series at two games apiece.
Despite the mistake(s) by Stephen Curry late in the game, the Warriors probably don’t win Game 4 without him. Last year’s NBA Finals MVP led Golden State with 32 points, making half of his shots from the field and going 5-for-11 from deep. The Warriors survived what would have been a heartbreaking loss to make this exhilarating first-round series a best-of-3.
