SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Thousands of faithful Sacramento Kings fans are hoping to light the beam during daylight Sunday as the team takes on the Golden State Warriors for game four of an historic playoff run.
The game tips off at 12:30 p.m. at the Chase Center in San Francisco and is airing on ABC10.
Golden State's Draymond Green is is set to return for the Warriors in Sunday’s matchup against the Kings with his team trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven series after serving a one-game suspension during the defending champions’ 114-97 Game 3 victory Thursday night.
He says that he is certain this is far from his last suspension, and he had some strong words for the NBA trying to make him an example of suspensions based on past behavior.
“Them (s——) don't work,” Green said Saturday of any special rules for him. “Here I am, still sitting here, still winning. They created those rules before, they didn't work, they still don't work. Maybe they did but Draymond won't be moved by no Draymond rules. I will continue to play the game how I play the game, operate how I operate, be exactly who I am, because that leads to winning."
In the fourth quarter of the Kings’ 114-106 Game 2 win Monday night, Green stepped on the chest of Sacramento center Domantas Sabonis after Stephen Curry grabbed a defensive rebound.
With the Warriors pushing the ball up court and Sabonis on the ground, Green took a hard step on Sabonis, who stayed down for several minutes as officials reviewed the play.
Sabonis was called for a technical foul for grabbing Green’s leg, and Green was given a flagrant 2 foul that led to an automatic ejection.
Sabonis was the last person to leave the Kings pre-game practice on Saturday and spoke on Green's return to the playoff series.
"I feel like if anything, they're going to be way more aggressive, they're getting one of their best players back," said Sabonis."We're just going to keep playing like we have been playing. I want to win for my team, he wants to win for his team."
Golden State shined in Green's absence the next game, gaining their first win in the round one series on Thursday.
Tip off time:
The game is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m. PST Sunday at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
How to watch:
Sunday afternoon's matchup between the Warriors and Kings will be aired exclusively on ABC10 in Sacramento or on your local ABC station.
The Kings are hosting a free watch party at the Golden 1 Center. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are required.
The Sacramento Kings are seeded third in the Western Conference with a record of 48-34 during the regular season. The Golden State Warriors have a record of 44-38, placed sixth in the Western Conference.
During the most recent game on April 21, Golden State's Stephen Curry led his team, scoring 36 points. De'Aaron Fox was key for the Kings Thursday, scoring 26 points.
The Warriors are 7-9 in division games. Golden State leads the league averaging 16.6 made 3-pointers per game. Curry leads the team averaging 5.0 makes while shooting 38.5% from 3-point range.
The Kings are 9-7 against the rest of their division. Sacramento scores 120.7 points and has outscored opponents by 2.6 points per game.
Domantas Sabonis is scoring 19.1 points per game and averaging 12.3 rebounds for the Kings. Keegan Murray is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Sacramento.
The injured list for the Warriors includes Gary Payton II due to an illness, Ryan Rollins who is out for the season due to his foot and Andre Iguodala who is out due to his wrist.
The Kings only have one player out for Sunday's game: Matthew Dellavedova due to a finger injury.
The Kings will return home to the Golden 1 Center for game five against the Warriors on Wednesday.
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