Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has called his side’s Play-In Tournament clash against the Sacramento Kings as a “must-win scenario” as the seven-time NBA champions continue to push for a place in the playoffs.
Curry, who finished the regular season averaging 26.4 points per game, reiterated his optimism and confidence in the Warriors getting the job done over their Pacific Division rivals, the Kings, who are coached by former Golden State assistant coach Mike Brown.
“I think in terms of optimism and confidence in who we are and what we can do any given night, you have to maintain that; you have to believe it,” the 36-year-old said.
“I think we do. It comes down to one game and then one game. And then hopefully more, but we understand what it’s like in this type of environment. A must-win scenario.”
Curry was the difference for the Warriors in the 2022–23 playoffs when they saw off Sacramento 4-3 in the Western Conference first round when he scored a mammoth 50 points in Game 7 to eliminate the Kings.
The ten-time NBA All-Star believes there could be a repeat of such a performance when the two sides face off again, as he is confident in the abilities of him and his teammates.
“There’s a history of last year with Sacramento, so just the vibes are ‘go and win a basketball game’ and we know we can do that. You’ve got to go and obviously prove it and execute it.”
Mark your calendars 🗓️@kpthrive || Play-In Tournament pic.twitter.com/WUytfQHjhr
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) April 15, 2024
The Warriors haven’t exactly had a great season, but they finished with a 19-10 record after February’s All-Star break, and Curry believes their recent run of form, especially on the road, would be important in helping them overcome the Kings.
“A lot of mental focus today and, you know, this last month really. I know we’ve had a couple of letdowns, but overall, we’ve been playing really well and turning in the right direction.”
“Our defense has turned a corner, and we’ve been able to sustain that, so all those things just point to, can we do that for 48 minutes, and we’ll see tomorrow?”
Golden State ended the regular season with a 46-26 win-loss record similar to the Kings, but Steve Kerr’s side finished in tenth place in the West, while Sacramento ended in 9th due to clinching the division record.
The two teams will face off in the Play-In Tournament on Tuesday night at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, with the winner of the contest primed to face the loser of the battle between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers for a ticket to the playoffs as the Western Conference’s eighth seed.
