The Golden State Warriors have struggled on the road all season long, but to successfully defend their title, the team will have to deliver victories away from home in order to avoid elimination as the No. 6 seed.
On Saturday in Sacramento, De’Aaron Fox scored 38 points in his playoff debut to lead the Kings to a three-point win over the Warriors. The series will continue on Monday night in Game 2, but according to ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst, it isn’t time for the Warriors to panic even if they fall into an 0-2 playoff deficit.
“I don’t think it’s a must-win because when you are sort of the underdog team, when you’re down 2-0 you can manage because you go home. But the percentages, especially against a team like Sacramento who’s really a strong team, to beat them four-out-of-five, you just don’t want to have that.
So the Warriors do need to get a road win in this series. They’ve won a road game in 27 consecutive playoff series dating all the way back to the first time Steph Curry stuck his foot in the playoffs. They have a lot of experience in this, and look, a lot of things in [Game 1] happened for the Kings that were positive.
Malik Monk, 32 points, 14-of-14 from the line. De’Aaron Fox, 38 points in his first-ever playoff game. The Warriors are hoping that those guys come back to Earth a little bit, and they make a couple more 3-pointers. Both things are reasonable to expect.”
Vince Carter was also hesitant to call Game 2 a must-win game for the Warriors, but warned Golden State about what a loss could do for the Kings’ confidence.
“Yes, I’m sure [the Warriors] feel comfortable with it,” Carter said,” but I feel like if we give a young team who already feels, well, the world feels like they don’t have a chance… give them more life? And more confidence to go on the road just to get one? Scary feeling.”
