The Sacramento Kings emphatically defeated the Golden State Warriors 118-94 on April 17, avenging last year’s playoff loss and eliminating the Warriors from the play-in tournament. The Kings’ win, led by Keegan Murray’s 32 points and De’Aaron Fox’s 24, kept their playoff hopes alive and might have signaled the end of Golden State’s dynasty.

The Kings advanced to face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, aiming to secure the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs. This victory, following a 16-year playoff drought, marked one of the franchise’s most significant wins in two decades.

Golden State struggled throughout the game, committing 16 turnovers and allowing 15 offensive rebounds. Klay Thompson’s off night, missing all 10 of his shots, added to the Warriors’ woes. Stephen Curry led Golden State with 22 points but couldn’t overcome Sacramento’s aggressive defense, particularly from Keon Ellis, who also contributed 15 points.

Sacramento took control early, building a 16-point lead in the first half. Despite a brief rally from Golden State, the Kings responded with a 19-5 run in the third quarter, securing their dominance. Murray’s four 3-pointers in the first quarter set the tone for Sacramento’s offense, and the Kings were never seriously threatened after their third-quarter surge.

With this victory, the Kings not only eliminated the Warriors but also took a significant step towards returning to the playoffs.

Golden State Warriors vs Sacramento Kings Match Player Stats

Golden State Warriors:

PLAYER MIN FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS +/-
Andrew Wiggins 25:28 4 11 36.4 1 4 25.0 3 5 60.0 1 2 3 2 0 1 3 0 12 -25
Draymond Green 35:03 4 8 50.0 2 4 50.0 2 2 100 0 3 3 6 2 0 3 3 12 -22
Trayce Jackson-Davis 10:35 1 1 100 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 -10
Klay Thompson 31:36 0 10 0.0 0 6 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 4 4 1 0 0 1 2 0 -12
Stephen Curry 36:29 8 16 50.0 3 7 42.9 3 3 100 1 3 4 2 2 1 6 0 22 -21
Jonathan Kuminga 27:51 6 15 40.0 0 2 0.0 4 6 66.7 2 5 7 2 0 1 0 16 -22
Brandin Podziemski 24:06 2 3 66.7 1 2 50.0 0 0 0.0 2 6 8 1 1 0 1 5 -3
Kevon Looney 8:32 1 2 50.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 1 4 5 1 0 0 0 2 1
Chris Paul 18:17 1 3 33.3 1 2 50.0 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 2 3 -15
Moses Moody 15:24 5 8 62.5 2 4 50.0 4 5 80.0 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 16 3
Lester Quinones 2:13 1 2 50.0 0 1 0.0 2 2 100 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4 2
Gui Santos 2:13 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Usman Garuba 2:13 0 1 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
Dario Saric DNP – Coach’s Decision
TOTALS 33 80 41.2 10 32 31.3 18 23 78.3 8 34 42 19 5 3 16 17 94 -24

Sacramento Kings:

PLAYER MIN FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS +/-
Harrison Barnes 34:00 5 11 45.5 3 4 75.0 4 4 100 2 2 4 3 0 0 0 17 29
Keegan Murray 38:34 10 20 50.0 8 13 61.5 4 4 100 3 6 9 0 2 0 3 0 32 20
Domantas Sabonis 36:48 7 14 50.0 0 1 0.0 2 2 100 1 11 12 7 2 1 1 5 16 25
Keon Ellis 38:49 5 8 62.5 3 4 75.0 2 2 100 2 2 4 5 3 3 3 3 15 27
De’Aaron Fox 38:34 11 25 44.0 2 8 25.0 0 1 0.0 1 3 4 6 2 0 1 3 24 20
Davion Mitchell 16:30 2 9 22.2 1 5 20.0 0 0 0.0 2 3 5 3 0 0 0 1 5 3
Alex Len 8:54 0 2 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 2 2 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
Trey Lyles 19:00 2 6 33.3 1 3 33.3 2 2 100 2 3 5 2 1 0 0 2 7 3
Sasha Vezenkov 2:13 0 1 0.0 0 1 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 -2
JaVale McGee 2:13 1 1 100 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 -2
Colby Jones 2:13 0 1 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 -2
Kessler Edwards 2:13 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 -2
Chris Duarte DNP – Coach’s Decision
TOTALS 43 98 43.9 18 39 46.2 14 15 93.3 15 34 49 28 10 5 8 17 118 24