The Sacramento Kings missed a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead with their Game 4 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Harrison Barnes' potential game-winner hit the back of the rim as time expired, and the Warriors escaped Game 4 with a 126-125 victory Sunday.
The Kings-Warriors series has been the best matchup of the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Sacramento started its first playoff run in 17 years by winning Game 1 and Game 2 at home. It was a different story when the series shifted to Golden State. The Kings blew a golden opportunity to beat the Warriors in Game 3 when Draymond Green was suspended. In Game 4, Sacramento had plenty of chances to defeat the defending champions.
De'Aaron Fox has played like a superstar in his first postseason. The Kings' point guard is averaging 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. Keegan Murray had a breakout 23-point performance in Game 4. Barnes struggled with nine points on 3-of-10 shooting before missing the shot that could've sent the Kings back home with a chance to close out the series.
Why is the Kings-Warriors series tied 2-2? Does anyone shoulder more responsibility than Barnes? Let's take a look at the two Kings who are most to blame for Sacramento's Game 4 loss against the Warriors.
Domantas Sabonis
Casual basketball fans who didn't watch the Kings during the regular season might come to believe that Domantas Sabonis is one of the most overrated players in the NBA. Sabonis made his third All-Star team and will likely be a 2023 All-NBA Third-Team selection. In four playoff games, Sabonis hasn't looked like a player deserving of those accolades.
Sabonis' overall numbers were fine in Game 4, but he didn't make the kind of impact that the Kings have relied upon in order to win. The Kings' starting center scored 14 points on 13 field-goal attempts. Sabonis had seven rebounds and eight assists. Sacramento was outscored by nine points during his 37 minutes on the court, a stat that is unsurprising to anyone who watched the game.
Draymond Green blocked a Sabonis shot with 97 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Game 4 that would've cut the Warriors' lead to one point. Green and Kevon Looney have done a terrific job guarding Sabonis. The Kings probably can't eliminate the Warriors if Sabonis doesn't step up offensively. After averaging 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game in the season, Sabonis' averages are down to 16.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the playoffs.
Kevin Huerter
Kevin Huerter was one of Sacramento's unsung heroes during the regular season. In the playoffs, Huerter has performed like a player who shouldn't be on the floor during crunch time. That's exactly how he was treated by Kings head coach Mike Brown, who sat Huerter for the final eight minutes and 33 seconds of Game 4.
In what has been a severely disappointing series for Huerter, Game 4 was his least productive contest. Huerter made one of his four field-goal attempts and missed his only attempt from 3-point range. The shooting guard finished with two points, three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. In the regular season, Huerter averaged 15.2 points on 48.5% shooting and 40.2% shooting from 3-point range.
Huerter has missed 18 of his 21 attempts from behind the arc against the Warriors. He's a major reason why the Kings are shooting 30.3% on threes in the playoffs, ranking second-to-last among postseason teams. If Huerter continues to struggle with his shot, Malik Monk and Davion Mitchell will continue to eat into his playing time.
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