The Three Kings most to blame for decisive Game 5 loss to Warriors

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The Sacramento Kings’ first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors could hardly have started better, with back-to-back home wins opening a 2-0 lead for the league’s bravest young team against the defending champions. Since then, however, things have taken a dramatic turn for the worse.

The Warriors earned back-to-back home wins, the second by just one point, tying the series, although the Kings still held the home court at that time. No more. Their loss in front of their adoring home fans on Wednesday night swung the series in favor of the Golden States and forced the Kings to win in San Francisco to stay alive.

As a collective, the Kings took a step forward in Game 5. They struggled defensively, allowing the Warriors to shoot 52.1 percent from the floor when they were just 28.9 % from three points, and no one was good on offense either. There were, however, a few players whose performance had a particularly big impact on the outcome. These are the three players most responsible for Kings Game 5 losing to the Warriors.

3. Keegan Murray

It may seem harsh to blame a freshman too much for a loss in the most important game of his young career to date. And, on the face of it, Murray’s game wasn’t too bad; He’s a fairly low volume shooter in most games at this point in his career, and of his five shots on Wednesday night, he hit four and went 2-2 from long range. But while it might not have been his job to score en masse, he certainly needed to give his team a bit more value during his 35 minutes on the pitch than he did in Game 5. .

Murray started like a freight train, scoring ten points in the opening six minutes to open a narrow 19-16 lead for his Kings. He went on for another 29 minutes and, attackingly, gave them next to nothing. Last year, the fourth pick in the NBA Draft didn’t take another hit in the last three and a half quarters of the game, and his only contribution to the stat sheet in that span was four rebounds. defensive. At this point in his career, Murray is largely dependent on others to get his shots, so some blame has to be placed on the Kings ballhandlers for his inability to shoot after starting the game so well. Zero shots in 29 minutes, however, is hard to fathom. If Murray wants to play more than 30 minutes again in Game 6, he needs to offer them a bit more on offense than he did in Game 5.

Domantas Sabonis hasn’t been at his best in the playoffs. The Lithuanian made his third All-Star appearance in four years after playing a key role in the Kings’ rise this season, but his numbers have plummeted this series. His points are down slightly, his efficiency is down significantly, and perhaps most importantly, he’s gone from averaging 7.3 assists in the regular season to just 4.4 in this series.

Game 5 was an extension of those struggles. He was actually reasonably effective from the floor, going 9-15 en route to 21 points, but with others struggling offensively he needed to be more aggressive with the ball in hand. Significantly, Sabonis again struggled to make plays; he dished out just four passes while turning the ball over five times, continuing the trend of a streak in which he has now managed just 22 passes accompanied by 20 turnovers. Sabonis was also bullied by Kevon Looney, who grabbed 22 rebounds in the game, including seven on the offensive glass. Sabonis was far from the worst player on the court, but as one of their two superstars he has to be much better if the Kings are to come from behind and snatch this streak.

1. DeAaron Fox

Fox had a great season and, alongside Domantas, Sabonis was the main reason for the Kings’ drastic improvement. He was named NBAs Clutch Player of the Year for good reason, but unfortunately he didn’t put his best foot forward with the series delicately poised at 2-2 on Wednesday. He, in fairness, played with a broken finger, although Fox himself refused to blame it for his performance.

The Foxs’ effectiveness dropped in the playoffs with increased usage, but he was always a very dangerous offensive player for the Kings. This drop in efficiency, however, bottomed out in Game 5. Fox went 9-25 from the floor in that game and only reached the line three times; that’s after getting there at least eight times in three of the series’ first four games. He handed out nine assists, but they were accompanied by six turnovers; not just his most in the series, but his most since Jan. 23 and just the second time he’s turned it over that many times since the season opener. It was Fox’s worst play for the series, and it could hardly have come at a worse time.

After three straight losses, the Kings find themselves in a deep hole and look to it to qualify for their first-round playoff series after a stellar season. Luckily, they have plenty of room to improve. All three above need to be better, but Sabonis and Fox in particular weren’t at their best in Game 5. If they can muster an improved performance at Golden State on Friday, it will go a long way to extending this streak to seven. games and giving them a chance to win at home.

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