After pulling out a win over the Sacramento Kings in Game 3 on Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors will look to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday afternoon. So far, each team has protected their homecourt, which could prove to be a theme throughout this series. If that pattern continues, Golden State will indeed tie the series up. In order to do that, they'll need another big game from star guard Steph Curry, who had 36 points and six rebounds last game. And there's also the matter of the return of Draymond Green, who was suspended for Game 3 after stomping on Domantas Sabonis' chest toward the end of Game 2.
Ahead of Game 4, here's a look at the start time, viewing information, odds, storylines and a prediction for the contest.
(3) Sacramento Kings vs. (6) Golden State Warriors
- Series: Game 4, Kings lead 2-1
- Date: Sunday, April 23 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Chase Center -- San Francisco, California
- TV channel: ABC
- Odds: Warriors -7.5; O/U 238.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Kings: Sacramento would benefit if they could get rookie forward Keegan Murray going a bit. Murray has scored only 10 points over the first three games of the series. This is a guy who averaged 12.2 points per game during the regular season. Some rookie jitters are understandable, but the Kings need him to snap out of it and contribute. Despite his struggles, the Kings aren't going to go away from him.
"It's difficult, especially for a rookie playing big minutes for us all season," Kings guard De'Aaron Fox said of Murray's play in the postseason. "I mean, he broke the 3-point record for a reason. So we know he's skilled. We know he can play. Obviously, the physicality and everything has risen, the intensity of the game has risen. He struggled a bit, but for us, we want him to get going. We're not going to take that away from him."
Warriors: Golden State have to do two things: take care of the ball, and maintain composure, both collectively and individually. The Warriors are a team who can sabotage themselves with sloppy, careless play and they simply can't afford to do that in this series. They also have to make sure that Draymond Green keeps his cool. He'll probably be pretty fired up to be back after his one-game suspension, and understandably so, but he has to be careful to channel that added energy in a positive way, and not allow himself to become involved in extracurriculars.
Prediction
The Warriors have been a great home team all season, and there's no reason to expect that to change. Plus, the return of Draymond Green should provide Golden State with an additional boost. Expect this series to shift back to Sacramento tied at two. Pick: Warriors -7.5
