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NBAStephen Curry: What Warriors must to Do to Get Back in the Series vs. Sacramento
- The Golden State Warriors find themselves in unfamiliar territory after Game 2 defeat to the Sacramento Kings
- The Warriors have never lost a Western Conference series since their dynasty began in 2015, but that record is in jeopardy
- Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has said his team will need to step up for Game 3 at home
The Golden State Warriors were reminded that times have changed after suffering defeat in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series against the Sacramento Kings.
Stephen Curry has said they'll need to step up in Game 3 and get back into the series.
The Warriors were second-best in both games at Golden 1 Center. They couldn't keep up with De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk, and Domantas Sabonis, who did most of the damage in Games 1 and 2.
For Curry and the Warriors' core, this is unfamiliar territory. In the Curry era, they've never been 2-1 down in a series before. The Warriors franchise now faces a 0-2 deficit for the first time since 2007.
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Since their dynasty began in 2015, the Warriors have never lost a Western Conference best-of-seven series, per CBS Sports. Game 3 will be pivotal. If they want to defend the title they won last season, they cannot afford to go 3-0 down.
In game 2, the Kings were good; Fox and Sabonis each scored 24, while Monk added 18 from the bench. Curry scored 28, Klay Thompson added 21, and Andrew Wiggins scored 22. They'll need those three to produce more in Game 3.
The Warriors' bench struggled. Only Gary Payton II played better from the bench (13 points). Jordan Poole and Moses Moody combined for 8 points. Jonathan Kuminga and Donte DiVincenzo went scoreless, per ESPN. The Warriors also had 22 turnovers.
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NBACurry explains what Warriors must do
Curry scored 30 and 28 points in Games 1 and 2, respectively. He said his team will need to stay locked in to avoid a potentially costly defeat. He said they have to face the challenge of being 0-2 down head-on.
"You've got to embrace it...We've got to stay together, stay locked in on things we need to do better, embrace the challenge of protecting the home court, which we've done great all year. All we've got to do is win one game here [Sacramento] somehow, someway. If we want to get ourselves back into it, it's going to start with a focused effort on Game 3 at home," NBC Sports.
The Warriors have been down before. They went 2-1 down in the NBA Finals last season but went on to win the series. They were 3-1 down in the Western Conference finals in 2016, but they came back to win.
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NBATimes have changed, though; game 3 will show if the Warriors still have that championship DNA.
Key observations: Game 2 Warriors vs. Kings
Sports Brief earlier reported on the key observations from the entertaining game between the Warriors and the Kings.
The Golden State was poor again in closing the game, taking ill-advised shots and committing 22 turnovers to the Kings.
The Sacramento bench was once again impressive, outscoring the Warriors' bench, which struggled throughout the contest.