Golden State Warriors down Sacramento Kings to square NBA series, New York Knicks on the brink

SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry scored 32 points but made some surprising mistakes as the Golden State Warriors held off a ferocious fourth-quarter fightback from the Sacramento Kings to secure a series-levelling 126-125 victory in the National Basketball Association (NBA) first-round play-off on Sunday.

Harrison Barnes almost snatched victory for Sacramento at the buzzer, only to see his long-range effort bounce off the rim to leave the NBA champions celebrating a result that tied the best-of-seven series at 2-2 after having lost the first two games.

Curry breathed a sigh of relief after two uncharacteristic blunders almost proved costly in a frenetic finale at the Chase Centre.

The Warriors talisman missed a wide-open three-pointer with his team leading 126-121 that could have put Golden State eight points clear with less than a minute remaining.

The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player was quoted by ESPN as saying: “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. I live with that decision.”

Curry then compounded that rare miss by erroneously calling a timeout when the Warriors had none left, earning a technical foul and allowing Sacramento’s Malik Monk to make it a four-point game with a free throw.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he failed to tell the team they did not have any more timeouts. Said Curry: “(Coach) took the blame for it, but I ain’t going to lie: I thought it was the smartest play in the world. I looked at the bench, and everybody was shaking their head. It was an unfortunate situation.”

A De’Aaron Fox three-pointer put Sacramento within one at 126-125, and when Curry missed another floater, the Kings had a chance to win it but for Barnes’ miss.

“It was kind of sloppy not knowing how many timeouts we had left, and a couple of dagger shots didn’t go in – but we did what we needed to do defensively in those last 10 seconds,” said Curry. “We’ve protected home court, and now we move on.”

Barnes’ attempt was the final act of a thrilling battle between the Western Conference rivals that saw the lead change hands 10 times as momentum ebbed and flowed throughout.

Draymond Green said he had tried to force Fox, the inaugural NBA Clutch Player of the Year, to defer to Barnes for that late shot. The forward, returning after suspension, restricted the Kings star to two-of-seven shooting as the primary defender.

He explained: “We know Fox can make a shot. What I’m not doing is giving him an iso with anyone and just watching him work... Got to make someone else beat you. If he hit it, great shot. He didn’t...

“Fox is a great player. He’s incredible. Any time you draw the assignment to go guard the other team’s best player, you appreciate the opportunity.”

Fox produced a dazzling performance for Sacramento with 38 points while Keegan Murray added 23 and Monk 16.

Golden State looked to have turned the screw decisively in the third quarter, outscoring the Kings 37-23 to start the fourth with a 10-point advantage.

Sacramento, however, came surging back with a 7-0 run to start the final quarter and only a handful of points separated the two teams in a tense finale before the Warriors held on.

Said Kings coach Mike Brown: “We made some timely mistakes, especially in the fourth quarter.

“This is where our play-off inexperience comes into play because you can’t rest out there, or you can’t think that you can play something a certain way and the champions are not going to make you pay.”

Curry led the Warriors scoring with 32 points while Klay Thompson added 26 and Jordan Poole 22. Andrew Wiggins contributed 18 points while Green had 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.

In the East, Jalen Brunson scored 29 points as the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 102-93 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Brunson drained five three-pointers and finished with six assists and six rebounds to electrify a raucous Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks now need just one win from three games to advance past the first round of the play-offs for the first time since 2013. AFP