Kings hope their home crowd can carry them in Game 7 vs. Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO(AP) — His team huddled up before taking the floor, Harrison Barneshollered a message to the Kings with their special season on theline: “Leave it all on the floor and take this series back toSac!”

Withspectacular performances on both ends against Stephen Curry and theGolden State Warriors, the Kings are going home to Sacramento forGame 7 against the defending champions.

Malik Monkcan only imagine what a winner-take-all showdown might be like witha chance to extend this long-awaited playoff run as all thosesupporters try to will their Kings into the second round.

For Curry andCo., there’s no imagining necessary — they know what hostile roadenvironments feel like for elimination games, having been there somany times over the past decade on the way to four titles.

“Man, I neverbeen to Game 7, so I don’t know. I don’t know what to expect,” Monksaid. “I just know I’m going to go out there and play 110 percent,give it my all, and continue to do what I’ve been doing, and that’sattacking the rim and making plays for my teammates. So I’m goingto be ready.”

Facingelimination, upstart Sacramento shined on both ends and hardlylooked to be feeling any added pressure in acommanding118-99 Game 6 victory Friday night.

WheneverCurry worked his offensive magic, Monk or Fox or Keegan Murray didsomething brilliant of their own. With big man Domantas Sabonis infoul trouble, others like Trey Lyles came through to quiet a fanbase dreaming of a Warriors repeat title.

“We’ve putourselves in a situation where we have to be the team that’splaying with desperation, obviously on the road in a Game 7.There’s a lot of belief that we can do that,” Curry said. “There’sa lot of belief in every single guy that’s going to be out there onthe floor, that we can make the necessary adjustments. If it is anenergy thing, that’s something you can control and correct it. Soyou’ve got to embrace the challenge of what’s in front of us andtry to go get the job done.”

If the Kingsgot a glimpse of their homecourt advantage in the initial two gamesof this series, Golden 1 Center might be at another level onSunday.

“It’s goingto be rocking. We’ve had loud games this year,” De’Aaron Fox said.“Coming out for Game 1, I think our guys were amazed at what wasgoing on. But going back there for a Game 7, I feel like —everybody doesn’t get to experience a Game 7, but not a lot ofpeople get to experience a Game 7 in Sacramento.”

Coach of theYear Mike Brown joked he doesn’t have “magic dust” regarding whatto do against the Warriors other than compete with the samephysical authority on both ends because he has seen Golden Statethrive through all the toughest moments.

Brown was theWarriors’ top assistant before joining the Kings.

“We’re goingto have to play at our best. Again, they’re the champions,” hesaid. “We’re going to have to play at an elite level for 48 minutesagainst these guys because they’re going to bring it, trustme.”

All that workto earn the No. 3 seed and home court sure matters now for theseKings — “that’s part of the reason why we bust our behind allyear,” Brown said.

The Warriors,meanwhile, must regroup and try to rediscover the energy andefficiency they had in a 123-116 win Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.On Friday, they missed 10 free throws while shooting 35 — threethat Curry couldn’t convert and three missed by Andrew Wiggins.Klay Thompson shot 2 for 9 from 3-point range.

“When I saidthat was the best win of the season Game 5, this is probably theworst loss of the season, but there’s no time to hang our heads,”Thompson said. “Luckily for us, we still have another crack at it.I still have absolute belief in this team that we can go get itdone on the road. It will be a tall task but we are up for it and Iknow we will respond.”

Curry iscounting on that, too, and knows it will start with smartbasketball despite the challenging atmosphere.

“Coming outwith a sense of composure is a big thing, especially if you’re onthe road because it’s going to be hostile and their crowd is goingto be into it,” Curry said.

Brown hasembraced the notion of his young team learning on the fly in whatis the first playoff series for most. Each game, each situationprovides new experiences and opportunities for growth.

He isthrilled by how the Kings have handled outside noise, such asanyone who counted Sacramento out of this series before the ballhad even tipped in Game 1.

“The job’snot done,” Brown said, “so we’ve got to see how we’re going torespond in a Game 7 for the first time as a group.”

WARRIORS ATKINGS

Series tiedat 3-all. Game 7, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC

— NEED TOKNOW: The Warriors — trying to improve to 19-0 in playoff seriesagainst Western Conference opponents under coach Steve Kerr datingto the team’s 2014-15 title run — know every miscue will bemagnified after their 18 turnovers led to 23 Kings points in Game6.

— KEEP AN EYEON: Sacramento’s Kevin Huerter. After struggling all series withhis shot — 20 of 52 in the first five games — the fifth-yearforward hit two crucial 3s down the stretch and might have aperformance to build on going into the decisive Game 7. “You got noidea. It feels good,” he said. “Just got to see the ball go insometimes.”

— INJURYWATCH: Sabonis has a cut beneath his left eye after being hit on ajump ball by Kevon Looney. Fox insists he’s doing great despite thebroken index finger on his shooting hand. He scored 26 points on10-for-18 shooting and had 11 assists but will strive to cut downon turnovers after committing 11 over the past two games. “I feelfine. Obviously at times it’s going to hurt, but that is what itis,” Fox said.

— PRESSURE ISON: Golden State won once on the Kings’ home floor in Game 5 aftera dismal regular season on the road and now the defending championsmust find a way to quiet the playoff-starved, cowbell-clangingSacramento crowd to save the season after losing Games 1 and 2 atGolden 1 Center.