Warriors vs Kings: Has Steph Curry ever come back from 0-2 in the playoffs?
The Sacramento Kings beat the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 to put them up 2-0 in the playoff series, something that hasn’t happened to GS in years.
Has Stephen Curry ever come back from a playoff series in which his team was down 0-2? Well, no. But not because he can’t. He’s simply never had to. Since Curry joined the Warriors in 2009, they have never gone 0-2 in the playoffs - not even once.
That is, until now. The Kings handed the Warriors their second playoff loss in a row, beating them 114-106 on Monday night in Game 2 of the first round of the playoffs. In fact, not only had the Warriors never gone 0-2, but they also hadn’t lost consecutive playoff games since the 2019 Finals.
Can the Warriors bounce back?
Game 1 was an extremely close game that came down to the final minutes, during which both Curry and Andrew Wiggins missed shots. They lost 126-123. Game 2 was not quite as close. The Kings were struggling to get the momentum going in the first quarter, but took the lead early and started off dominant in the second quarter, making three 3-pointers in a row by Malik Monk, forcing the Warriors into a timeout.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr pulled out Curry to rest, but as soon as he did, the Kings went on a 16-4 run, taking full advantage of his absence. Just five minutes into the second quarter, the Kings put up 19 points (more than they had in the first quarter in total, 17). Curry went right back in the game to help after that.
They then tried a different tactic, putting Draymond Green, Wiggins, and Gary Payton II in the front, which helped - they went on a 14-4 run and tied the game at 52. By the end of the half though, the Kings were up again, by six points, scoring a total of 41 in the second quarter alone. In the third quarter, the Warriors hurt themselves with fouls - Green got a fourth and Kevon Looney got a fifth, which forced them to go deep on the bench. They got close by the end of the third, but in the fourth, they couldn’t hang on, eventually falling behind and unable to catch back up.
Oh yeah, and then this happened: Draymond Green stomps Domantas Sabonis, ejected from game
The Warriors’ track record on the road has been terrible all season long, so it’s a good thing they’re heading home to Chase Center for Game 3 on Thursday. Even Kings player De’Aaron Fox admitted that the crowd makes a big difference. After he went off for 38 points in Game 1, he said that playing for the fans was a big motivating factor.
“Sacramento showed out tonight,” Fox said after Game 1. “Doing this for the fans, just knowing the way that they support this team through thick and thin - really thin. It’s just a testament to the way they are.”
If the Warriors can find that same motivation at their home court, they should be able to bounce back. As it stands now, they’re just two losses away from being eliminated from the playoffs. They will play Game 3 on Thursday at 7 p.m. from Chase Center.