Warriors and Kings ready to reignite rivalry ahead of play-in clash

Warriors and Kings ready to reignite rivalry ahead of play-in clash originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area

For the second consecutive season, the Warriors and Kings will face each other in the NBA postseason, in what is expected to be another epic showdown in northern California.

However, it will be a little different this year as the ninth-ranked Kings will host the Warriors’ top 10 in a victory game or NBA tournament game at 7 p.m. PT on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center. After the Warriors and Kings games on Sunday, the focus immediately shifted to Tuesday, when players on both sides predicted a do-or-die rematch of last season’s first-round playoff series.

“They’ve definitely changed a little bit. We know this team pretty well, for the most part, though,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said after Golden State win 123-116 during the Utah Jazz on Sunday. “They will analyze many things [Domantas] Soaps. Obviously it all starts with the snake’s head, De’Aaron [Fox]. And everyone takes what they want from these guys.

“They are a standard team. They got what they wanted. Getting into the game, understanding this [and] the things that we will try to take away and not allow them to reach those standards. But we know them well. They know us well. So it won’t be a surprise.”

But Kings guard Davion Mitchell might disagree, emphasizing how much better Sacramento’s defense has gotten since last season.

“I think we’ve got each other’s backs. We’re in a defensive situation,” Mitchell said Sunday after the Kings’ surprising 121-82 victory about the Portland Trail Blazers. “Helping each other. If I get a backdoor cut and someone beats me, you’ll have my teammate helping. At the beginning of the year, that would be a layup or something easy like that.

“So protecting each other, talking and being physical. We haven’t played them since the start of the season, so it will be very different from what they’ve seen.”

The Warriors and Kings split the season series (2-2) this year, with their last meeting in January. A lot has changed for both teams since then.

This includes Sacramento’s notable defensive improvements.

“I mean, it’s exciting — we’re going to get a little payoff for last year,” Mitchell said. “We know they will come here with energy because we are playing at home. It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be physical, but I think we’re ready for it.

“I think all year we’ve been preparing for this, playing physically on both ends of the court, and I think we’ll be ready.”

Previous clashes between the two teams did not disappoint either.

After the Kings took the Warriors to Game 7 of their first-round playoff series last season in what was two weeks of drama, chaos and excitement on and off the court, a new rivalry was born between the NorCal neighbors.

And that carried over into the 2023-24 regular season, as three of the four games were decided by one point.

“It’s always a playoff-type game,” Green said. “You feel it. You walk into their arena, their fans want to light up the post and see us lose and beat us up. And when they come here, we want to beat them up. A lot of familiarity between the two organizations.

“For us, it’s another game we have to win. We have to do it.”

The Warriors ended the Kings’ magical season a year ago thanks to a 50-point run from superstar Steph Curry. Although Golden State enters the matchup as a lower seed, the team’s success over the last decade speaks for itself.

Kings second-year forward Keegan Murray knows who he’s dealing with, but he’s confident in his team’s ability.

“Honestly, we felt like underdogs,” Murray said. “Just starting out, I think we were close to our win total from last year. So we’re trying to keep it as consistent as possible with the guys we lost. Obviously, it’s hard to lose those guys, but to have a chance to be in the playoffs is big for us.”

Kings rising guard Keon Ellis is ready for the challenge.

“I think we all know what we have to do,” he said. “The Warriors are a team we play against a lot. We’ve had our little rivalry. We know what they bring to the table and they know what we bring to the table. It’s definitely going to be a good game, but we just need to focus on the plan of game.

“This next one might be our last, so [we] I have to bring it.”

Both Warriors coach Steve Kerr and Kings coach Mike Brown analyzed the matchup.

“Fox and Sabonis’ pick-and-roll game is lethal,” Kerr said. “They have great pitching against these guys. Sabonis is kind of the fulcrum of a lot of their offenses. We know them well and they know us well. They’re a great coached team. Mike and his staff do a fantastic job. They’ve been very good the last two years for a reason.

“They are talented and have a good formula. They are a difficult team.”

After a grueling end to the regular season following some season-ending injuries, Brown is very excited about the opportunity for his players.

“We welcome anyone to step up to the plate,” Brown said. “We are very excited about the opportunity to play. And again, situations like this, we as a group now, don’t go through. And so to play a game now, that’s how I look at it and swing for the fences. Try to get a victory.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to do that while trying to move forward and grow at the same time.”

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