Steph Curry was great for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. Also, in a rare mental lapse, Curry almost cost Golden State a victory in Game 4 against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
Curry called a timeout the Warriors didn’t have, resulting in a technical foul and Sacramento’s possession, allowing the Kings to cut a five-point lead to one point in the final minute.
However, Sacramento’s Harrison Barnes missed a potential game-winning 3-point attempt, and the Warriors hung on for a 126-125 victory, tying the series at 2-2. Game 5 is Wednesday in Sacramento (10 p.m. ET, TNT).
Curry finished with a team-high 32 points, and he escaped without the timeout being even a bigger part of this fantastic Western Conference series.
With Curry trying to get the ball across half-court, the Warriors ahead 126-121 and 42.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, he called a timeout that the Warriors didn’t have. It was reminiscent of then-Michigan basketball star Chris Webber calling a timeout the Wolverines didn’t have against North Carolina in the 1993 NCAA men’s championship game.
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Malik Monk made the free throw, and the Kings retained possession. De’Aaron Fox, who had a game-high 38 points, made a 3-pointer, cutting Golden State’s lead to 126-125.
Curry missed a jumper, giving Sacramento a chance for the victory. Curry redeemed himself with solid defense on Sacramento’s final possession – first keeping Fox from getting off a shot and then closing out on Barnes’ miss as time expired.
Kings rookie Keegan Murray responded with his best game of the series, scoring 23 points, 15 on 5-for-7 shooting on 3s.
Klay Thompson added 26 points for the Warriors. Thompson and Curry were a combined 9-for-20 on 3s.
In the series, the three of the four games have been decided by seven points or fewer, including two by three or fewer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors defeat Kings in Game 4, despite Steph Curry mental mistake
