The Sacramento Kings took a 2-0 series lead in the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Golden State Warriors and then promptly lost by 17 in Game 3 of the Kings-Warriors series. This was the game where Draymond Green served his suspension for stomping on Domantas Sabonis in Game 2, yet the Kings still couldn’t get it done. That’s OK, though, Kings fans. There’s no reason to panic after the Kings’ Game 3 loss, and here’s why.

3. Draymond Green suspension gave the Warriors a boost

Draymond Green is the emotional leader of the Warriors and in the Kings’ Game 3 NBA playoffs matchup, he did more for his team by being off the court than being on it. Reports were that he spoke with the team before the game, and the Warriors came out fired up, taking a nine-point lead by the end of the first quarter.

After four championships in eight seasons, it has to be hard for the Warriors to come out in a playoff series with an underdog chip on their shoulder. Even though this is a 6-seed vs. a 3-seed, the lower-seeded Warriors were still favored to win this series.

Green’s suspension, based on past behavior as much as the Game 2 stomp, is just the type of scenario where the Warriors can come out and say, “It’s us vs. the world!” in this series. They came out last game like a team that once again had something to prove and they proved it.

Until otherwise demonstrated by Golden State, the Kings’ Game 3 blowout loss seems like nothing more than a one-game bump from the suspension.

Green will return for Game 4, so while he will be able to lead the team emotionally on the court, there won’t be the same win one for the Gipper mentality that there was in this Warriors blowout.

2. Draymond Green will take focus away from Kevon Looney

While Draymond Green is still the emotional leader of the Warriors, he’s not the same player he was during the first three Golden State title runs.

While Green’s points per game ticked up slightly from last season, he was down in rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. And while his 3-point percentage also came up a bit, he still barely crested 30% from behind the arc.

For what the Warriors need on the court, Kevon Looney is a better fit these days. He is a superior rebounder to Green and, these days, is a better passer as well. All those skills were on display Thursday night when Looney went off for 20 rebounds and nine assists.

With Green back, Looney’s role on the team will be lessened from what it was in the Kings’ Game 3 loss. With Looney on the court, the Warriors are simply better.

From a basketball perspective, the Kings are better off with Draymond on the floor than Looney alone, and in the next game of this Kings-Warriors series, there will be much more Green and Looney, as well as more Green alone when the Warriors want to go small. This benefits Sacramento more than Golden State.

1. Warriors are still terrible on the road

Taking the Draymond Green suspension out of this, it’s no surprise that the Warriors took Game 3 at home. The Warriors had the third-best home record in the NBA this season, going 33-8 at the Chase Center this season.

However, the team was also the fourth-worst team in the NBA away from its own building, going 11-30 on the road.

On the other hand, the Kings had the second-best road record in the league with a 25-16 mark and a middle-of-the-table (but still winning) home record at 23-18.

With as well as the Kings play on the road, they should still be able to steal a game in San Francisco in either Game 4 or Game 6. And even if they don’t, that’s OK, too.

The Warriors have been bad on the road all season, and after the first two games of this Kings-Warriors series, there is still no evidence to suggest that the Warriors will take a game at the Golden 1 Center.

NBA teams play 82 games to show off their skills and earn home-court advantage in the NBA playoffs. The Kings showed they are much better than the Warriors on the road this season and solid at home as well, while the Warriors simply couldn’t win outside their own friendly confines.

The biggest reason for Sacramento fans not to panic after the Kings' Game 3 loss is that the team still has home-court advantage in this series and hasn’t given it up yet.