Warriors vs. Kings score, takeaways: Stephen Curry leads defending champs with record Game 7 performance

Curry scores 50 points -- the most in Game 7 history -- as Golden State advances

Never underestimate the heart of a champion. The Golden State Warriors entered Sunday with a 12-32 overall road record this season, and home teams win roughly 80% of Game 7s overall. They also trailed the Sacramento Kings by two points at the half in Game 7. And none of that mattered. In the end, the team that has been there, time and time again, over the past decade managed to pull out yet another remarkable victory, flipping that two-point deficit after 24 minutes into a 20-point victory after 48 minutes by a count of 120-100. And it's all thanks to their best player. Stephen Curry erupted for perhaps the best playoff game of his illustrious career. 

Curry not only set a new playoff career-high with 50 points. He set a record for any player in any Game y ever, breaking the mark set by his former teammate Kevin Durant, who once dropped 48 in an overtime game for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019. Curry's seven 3-pointers tied the Game 7 record. It was an absolute masterpiece from one of the greatest players in NBA history.

The Kings, meanwhile, were overwhelmed by the moment. After keeping close with the Warriors for six-and-a-half-games, they bent in the third quarter and broke in the fourth quarter of their first playoff series in 17 years. The Kings will be back here in the future, but Sunday belongs to the champs. Here are the biggest takeaways from Game 7.

More than just a shooter

Stephen Curry was crowned the NBA's greatest shooter years ago. The title has been so definitively his for so long now that it has almost become derisive. "Sure, Steph is the greatest shooter we've ever seen ... but he's a small guard, so he can't do everything that bigger stars could do." It was an unfair line of thought, but one plenty of doubters seemed to adopt. Even Warriors coach Steve Kerr hinted at it publicly in 2017 when he called Kevin Durant, not Curry, the second-best player in the world behind LeBron James. "There's a different level of impact that's actually possible for Steph and for KD," Kerr said at the time. "Steph is my size, he's literally exactly my size. So what he's capable of is all based on his amazing skill."

Curry had a remarkable shooting performance in Game 7. In fact, he tied the Game 7 record by hitting seven 3-pointers against the Kings. But here's the amazing thing: he also set a new playoff career-high with 13 2-point field goals in the game. Curry didn't just beat the Kings from behind the arc. He beat them by getting to the basket over and over and over again, hitting circus layups against a defense geared entirely around stopping him.

Curry is a four-time NBA champion. His legacy is secure and requires no more validation. But at this rate, we're going to have to do better than "greatest shooter of all time" as shorthand for Curry's career. We might have to swap it for "greatest point guard of all time" if he keeps this up.

Board man doesn't gets paid

Kevon Looney was an unrestricted free agent last offseason. He returned to the Golden State Warriors on a three-year deal worth, at most, $8.5 million per year. That's not even mid-level money. Almost any team in the NBA could've outbid what the Warriors ultimately paid him. He was the 31st highest-paid center in basketball this season. Daniel Theis got paid more than he did.

Well, the other 29 teams have no one to blame but themselves for what Looney keeps doing to them in the playoffs. After swinging the 2022 NBA Finals on the boards, Looney was at it again on Sunday. The Kings led Game 7 by two points at halftime. The Warriors won the second half by 22 points. How? Aside from Curry's brilliance, it was Looney's rebounding that changed the game. The Warriors got 13 offensive rebounds in the third quarter alone. Looney finished the game with 11 of them. Technically, you could argue that he had a triple-double: 11 points, 11 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive rebounds.

The Warriors have the most expensive payroll in NBA history. Every dollar they spend gets multiplied several times over due to the repeater tax. Any other team could've plucked Looney off of the Warriors by just making him an offer that would've been too painful to match. That's how Golden State lost Gary Payton II over the summer, even if they would later reacquire him. Nobody did, and now, Looney has grown from meaningful role player into integral element of a dynasty. The Warriors wouldn't have won the 2022 championship without him. And they would have lost Game 7 without him as well. The Warriors have a center whose jersey they might day retire for roughly 70% of the salary Sacramento paid Richaun Holmes to sit on their bench in this series.

The pressure got to them

De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk showed up for this series. Keegan Murray grew into the moment as the series progressed. But the rest of the core Kings? Well, they probably owe Fox and Monk some apologies:

• Domantas Sabonis shot 61.5% from the field and 37.3% from 3-point range in the regular season. He shot 51.5% from the field and 25% from 3-point range against the Warriors.
• Harrison Barnes shot 47.3% from the field and 37.4% from 3-point range in the regular season. He shot 41.7% from the floor and 24% from 3-point range against the Warriors.
• Kevin Huerter shot 48.5% from the field and 40.2% from 3-point range in the regular season. He shot 34.7% from the field and 20.5% from 3-point range against the Warriors.

Sabonis, Barnes and Huerter have all been to the playoffs before. Barnes has won a championship. Huerter once scored 27 points in a Game 7. Bad shooting luck happens, but this was worse than that. For large stretches of this series, three of Sacramento's starters felt unplayable. It often fell on reserves Terence Davis, Trey Lyles and Davion Mitchell to keep the Kings afloat. The Warriors are not unbeatable, but if you do hope to beat them, you can't beat yourselves in the process. That's what these three Kings did. Everyone needs to be at their best to knock off Golden State and three of Sacramento's five starters simply weren't.