In the NBA Play-In Tournament, the Golden State Warriors flew east to take on the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. 

The victor would go on to play the New Orleans Pelicans and make it to the postseason. Sacramento defeated the Warriors 118-94 to return the favor after the Dubs terminated the Kings’ season the previous year.

Alongside Draymond Green in the front court, rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis was started by Golden State head coach Steve Kerr. Jackson-Davis has had a successful rookie year, but Kevon Looney had a solid year finale and played particularly well against the Kings in the previous postseason.

On defense, Jackson-Davis faced an especially difficult assignment since he was frequently paired up against Harrison Barnes, who was much more focused on the perimeter, while Green was tasked with covering Domantas Sabonis. 

The Kings controlled the glass, pulling down six offensive rebounds in the opening quarter, despite the fact that both teams were aggressively moving the ball effectively early on. The Kings jumped out to a 31-22 advantage in the first quarter because they had so many second opportunities.

Before the Dubs made a field goal in the second quarter, the Kings had already established a 38-22 lead. Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga, the youthful wings for Golden State, were able to stem the flow and add some spark off the bench. 

With a three, an assist, and a trip to the free-throw line, Moody began to chip away at the lead. Subsequently, Kuminga produced a 6-0 run with just one hand to reduce the lead to 48-40. The final few minutes were back-and-forth, with the Kings leading by barely 54-50 at the break.

In the second half, Kerr moved Kuminga into Jackson-Davis’ starting lineup, and it appeared to have a brief positive effect. But the Kings simply had too much fuel in their tank. Or maybe the Warriors’ tank has finally run out. The Warriors were momentarily within one point as Steph Curry ignited a pair of surges, but the Kings always appeared to have an answer. Sacramento took a 15-point lead just before the period ended and never looked back.

For Warriors supporters, the fourth quarter was a scene from the past. Curry’s unwavering refusal to give up resulted in drive after drive and attempt after try to accelerate the pace, but Sacramento’s offensive had turned into a river that the Dubs were unable to stop.

Curry was the target of the Kings’ whole defensive strategy. Curry scored 22 points in the game, going 8 for 16 from the floor, but it was far from sufficient, especially considering he committed six turnovers.

Curry required assistance. Despite his 12 points and two threes, Draymond Green isn’t expected to be the primary offensive weapon that puts up numbers. With 12 points, Andrew Wiggins appeared as he had for the majority of the season: reserved and unproductive.

It was time for the other Splash Brother to take charge. Klay Thompson scored 3,032 points in the postseason and 15,531 points over his Warriors career. Numerous times when the squad needed him, he delivered. But on Tuesday, he was unable to.

It was Thompson’s worst shooting performance of the postseason. Despite having a strong regular season, Thompson played a terrible game in his last game under his current deal, which may have been his last game wearing a Warriors uniform given his impending free agency. Thompson did not score and went 0-for-10 from the field (0-for-6 from three).

In contrast, the Kings made over 40% of their three-point tries. Although Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, the show’s stars, both gave strong all-around performances, they weren’t the only ones who contributed. The difference was made by the three other Kings starters, Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, and Keon Ellis, who played tough defense and scored 64 points on 14 of 21 three-point shooting.

The offseason is now the only thing the Warriors have to look forward to. Even if young players like Kuminga, Jackson-Davis, Moody, and Brandin Podziemski showed signs of promise during the season, the Dubs are still heavily dependent on the guys who will win the 2022 championship: Curry, Green, Thompson, and Wiggins. However, given the circumstances of his worst-ever season and the advancing age of Curry, Green, and Thompson, what is to be anticipated of Wiggins?

Thompson has no contracts to sign. Chris Paul’s non-guaranteed deal will be available to the Warriors in trades, but it’s obvious that a number of things will likely need to alter if Golden State is to win a title.