What’s creating into one of the vital spectacular level guard duels in current playoff historical past continues on Sunday when Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors look to even their Western Conference first-round sequence in opposition to De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco.
Curry scored 36 factors, half on 3-pointers, in a 114-97 dwelling win on Thursday night time that bought Golden State on the best-of-seven scoreboard after Fox had gone for 38 and 24 factors in a pair of wins in Sacramento.
The Warriors additionally obtained a uncommon 20-rebound, nine-assist outing from Kevon Looney within the Game 3 win, throughout which the Golden State middle additionally drew nearly all of the defensive project on Kings co-star Domantas Sabonis due to Draymond Green’s one-game suspension.
Green is eligible to return to motion for Game 4.
There have been no knockdowns or stompings within the Fox-Curry matchup. Just a variety of factors, Curry leads the sequence at 31.1 per recreation and Fox is second at 25.3, and a bunch of Curry 3-pointers (15) and Fox assists (24).
The NBA hasn’t seen many level guard postseason matchups through the years by which each averaged 25 or extra factors over the course of a sequence. In the primary spherical final 12 months, for instance, solely two level guards, Curry and Jalen Brunson, went for 25 or extra per recreation, and so they weren’t head-to-head.
While Curry has unfold out his factors within the three video games, Fox has finished a lot of his greatest work within the fourth quarter. He had 15 of his 38 factors within the fourth quarter of Game 1, then 11 of his 24 within the remaining interval of Game 2.
He shot a cumulative 10-for-18 total and 4-for-5 on 3-pointers in these difference-making performances in three- and eight-point wins.
But the Warriors put the clamps on Fox within the fourth quarter of Game 3, limiting him to 2 factors on 1-for-4 capturing. He missed each his 3-point makes an attempt.
The Kings had their biggest success in opposition to Curry in Game 2, harassing him into 3-for-13 capturing on 3-pointers, together with 0-for-5 within the fourth interval.
Fox offered a glimpse into the Kings’ recreation plan for guarding the Warriors, Curry particularly.
“How physical we are with them will be key. You can’t let them dictate the way that they want to play,” Fox mentioned. “They do so much freelancing that it just comes down to how physical we are with them and just not letting them move freely throughout the court.”
As the Kings have finished with defensive ace Davion Mitchell sharing defensive duties on Curry, the Warriors have tried a number of defenders on Fox.
Golden State’s defensive anchor, Green admitted his crew was shocked at Fox’s 4-for-8 capturing on 3-pointers in Game 1. He has since gone 5-for-19.
“You gotta give up something,” Green admitted. “There are things that you live with and things that you won’t. And what you can’t live with is De’Aaron Fox being a one-man fast break; you can’t live with him getting to the paint every possession. Those are tough things to deal with.”
Game 5, already assured, is scheduled for Wednesday night time in Sacramento.
