Kings have changed since losing to Warriors. Now they want ‘payback’ in NBA play-in game

The Kings are not the same team that succumbed to the Golden State Warriors when Stephen Curry erupted for 50 points in Game 7 of an epic first-round playoff series last season.

That team averaged 120.7 points per game to record the highest offensive rating in NBA history. This one is suddenly doing it with defense after showing remarkable improvement over the past two months.

These Kings are a year older. A year wiser. A year removed from that magical time when the stars aligned to give them good health, good fortune and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference as they ended the longest playoff drought in NBA history after 16 consecutive losing seasons. That team wasn’t ready to survive and advance when it went up against the Warriors dynasty, but maybe this one is.

The No. 9 Kings will add a new chapter to this budding Northern California rivalry when they play host to the No. 10 Warriors in a play-in tournament opener Tuesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The winner will go on to face the Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans Pelicans — whoever loses the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game — with a chance to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

“It’s exciting,” Kings guard Davion Mitchell said. “We get to get a little payback for last year. We know they’re going to come in here with energy. We’re playing a home game and it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be physical, but I think we’re ready for it. I think the whole year, we’ve prepared ourselves for it, playing physical on both ends of the floor, and I think we’ll be ready.”

The Kings split the four-game season series against the Warriors with three games decided by one point. The Warriors won 122-114 on Oct. 27 in Sacramento and 102-101 on Nov. 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Kings prevailed 124-123 on Nov. 28 in Sacramento and 134-133 on Nov. 25 in San Francisco.

Last year’s playoff series was a shootout with the winning team scoring 114 points or more in all seven games. This game could be different if the Kings have their way after ranking No. 7 in defensive rating in March (110.8) and No. 2 in April (106.7)

The Kings have worked hard to get better at closing out on 3-point shooters over the last couple of months. Opponents shot 39.7% from 3-point range before the All-Star break and 36.7% after the break.

“I think we’ve been more physical,” Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said. “... I think we’ve been rotating right. I think guys have been early to their spots, and then I think we’ve been a bit of a better 3-point defensive team than we have been earlier in the season. We weren’t giving up a lot of 3s, but teams were making a higher percentage, and I think we’ve been better at that since the All-Star break. But obviously, this team being one of the best 3-point shooting teams for a long time, that’s definitely an emphasis for us and that’s no surprise.”

The Kings have been forced to make adjustments after losing Kevin Huerter, who is out with a torn labrum, and Malik Monk, who is out with a sprained MCL. The bulk of their minutes are now going to Mitchell and Keon Ellis, who are more defensive-minded.

Mitchell addressed his team’s defensive improvement after the Kings concluded the regular season with a 121-82 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

“I think we’re covering for one another,” Mitchell said. “I think we’re covering on a string defensively, helping each other out, and even if I get a backdoor cut and somebody beats me, you have your teammate helping. At the beginning of the year, if I got backdoored, it would be a layup or something easy like that. I think we’re covering for one another, talking and being physical. We haven’t played them since the beginning of the season, so it’s going to be a lot different than what they’ve seen.”

The Warriors are No. 8 in the NBA in scoring at 117.8 points per game and No. 7 in 3-point shooting at 38%. Curry is averaging 26.4 points while shooting 40.8% on 11.8 3-point attempts per game. Klay Thompson averages 17.9 points while shooting 38.7% from beyond the arc. Jonathan Kuminga (16.1 ppg) and Andrew Wiggins (13.2 ppg) are also scoring in double figures.

“We’re going to have to defend because they have a lot of firepower offensively, and that firepower has won championships,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “So, they’re used to scoring with the best. They’re used to being in pressure situations. And, for us, we can’t have the mindset where we’re going to go out and score 120 or 125 points and beat them that way, especially without Malik and Kevin. We have to bring a level of physicality to the defensive end of the floor, and, hopefully, our defense is to the point where our guys believe in it, and I feel they do believe in it.”