Sacramento Kings

Keeping true to their trend of final-minute thrillers across both last spring’s scintiliating seven-game series and 2023-24’s first three regular-season matchups, the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, seemingly in mutual agreement, decided that Round 4 wouldn’t offer a missed beat, nor many missed shots. Challenged to a competitive track meet from the opening tip, Sacramento offered the night’s offensive crown to their veteran forward. No stranger to witnessing history on the Warriors’ blue-and-gold-colored court, the 2015 NBA champion put forth excellence of his own on January 25, 2024, erupting for a career-best 39 points (on 14-of-24 shooting), alongside four rebounds and seven 3-pointers. Barnes’ efforts were much-needed during a Rivals Week battle that for the fourth-consecutive time, concluded with a single-digit margin. Brilliant in the sidekick role, De’Aaron Fox also offered up a 29-point performance, headlined by a pair of cold-blooded triples that afforded Sacramento late-game breathing room. With Domantas Sabonis supplying the final, game-clinching touch on a win that later proved paramount to their Play-In Tournament fates, the Kings, on this night, moved within a half-game of the No. 5 seed among the Western Conference’s elites.