The Golden State Warriors will face the Sacramento Kings during the Play-in elimination game at the Kings’ home arena. If the Warriors lose, their season will end before the First Round of the Playoffs. This can raise questions about the big three of Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson being intact. Thompson’s early season inconsistencies and reluctance to sign an extension with the Warriors might have paved the way for his exit during the 2024 offseason.
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However, Paul Pierce doesn’t think the Warriors’ dynasty will end against the Kings. As per the Truth, if the Warriors somehow end up losing, it will bring sorrow to many fans, anticipating a Klay Thompson exit in the offseason. Apart from that, it can also lead to bigger personnel changes. On ‘Undisputed’, he predicted that the Warriors would be aiming to avoid elimination and save their big three,
“The dynasty can’t be over tonight, no possible way. But if they lose like I said it would be a sad day in the Golden State world. Because not only will Klay Thompson not be there this summer, you can have a bigger shakeup but I don’t see them losing and I wanna see Klay go off tonight.”
Pierce highlighted how the Kings “haven’t been the same” as last season. This can benefit the Warriors squad, however, Thompson has to explode regardless, if they want to extend their season. During the 2023 playoffs, the third-seeded Kings lost to the sixth-seeded Warriors in seven games. As a ninth seed, they can even have bigger trouble fending off Curry and Co. Further, injuries haven’t helped their case either.
The Kings are hit with injuries
While the Kings’ prospects of surviving the elimination game don’t seem promising, they will also be without their two key scorers, Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter. While Keon Ellis has chipped in with substantial minutes, he doesn’t spread the floor like Monk and Huerter. The duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis is short-handed, but Harrison Barnes’s experience can help them out.
Further, Keegan Murray has been a thunderbolt scorer but as a rookie, he is prone to inconsistencies. Therefore, the Kings finished the season with five losses in seven games.
Moreover, it sounds like good news for the Dubs Nation who have also been inconsistent throughout the season, apart from the sharpshooter Stephen Curry. The two teams have been in incredible H2H match-ups for the last two seasons. Pierce’s prediction for the Warriors’ success doesn’t seem far-fetched considering the Kings’ performance at the end of the regular season.
If Stephen Curry and Co. do manage to pass through the Kings, they will face the losers of the Lakers-Pelicans matchup for the seventh seed. The Dub Nation, and Klay Thompson, in particular, have to bring their A-game to the table if they want to make a title run this season.
