Kings-Warriors Matchup of the Game: Malik Monk vs Stephen Curry

The Sacramento Kings (33-31) have lost two games in a row and draw another tough matchup tonight against the surging Golden State Warriors (37-28) who have won five straight games and 10 of their last 11.

While the Warriors are soaring up the standings, the Kings are in danger of falling out of the race for the 6th-8th seeds with just 18 games left in the season. Tonight feels like a make or break game for the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot.

With both teams having new stars that are playing well, it's tempting to go with Zach LaVine and Jimmy Butler and the matchup of the game, but for tonight, we turn to the point guards, with Stephen Curry playing arguably his best basketball of the season and Malik Monk looking to get back on track after his injury.

Season Stats:

Malik Monk: 17.7 PTS, 5.8 AST, 3.8 REB, 1.0 STL, 0.6 BLK, 44.0 FG%, 32.5 3P%

Stephen Curry: 24.5 PTS, 6.1 AST, 4.4 REB, 1.1 STL, 0.4 BLK, 44.8 FG%, 39.8 3P%

In his first game back from injury, Malik Monk finished with 21 points, but on 7-of-18 (38.9%) from the field and just 3 assists. With a team-high 18 field goal attempts in the blowout loss, Monk was aggressive with his offense in his return to action.

Malik Monk says the Knicks punked his Kings...again. Talks about returning from the toe injury, getting it checked out in the second half after it "felt weird" and what he saw from Sacramento in his 3-game absence. pic.twitter.com/H6UkZs6Qtt
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) March 11, 2025

While the Kings benefit from Monk's scoring, it's possible they benefit more from his passing and playmaking with the roster as currently constructed.

This will be the Kings fourth matchup against the Warriors this season, and in the first two games in which Sacramento won, Monk recorded 12 and 9 assists. The Kings are 12-6 this season when Monk has at least 8 assists, and as repeatadly discussed, the team as a whole is at their best when they move and pass the ball.

For the Warriors, the Butler trade seems to have brought them back to life, especially Stephen Curry.

Since Butler made his Warriors debut, Curry is averaging 29.9 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.1 rebounds on 49.6% from the field and 42.4% from beyond the arc. And that 42.4% from three is on 12.3 attempts per contest.

Curry had the weight of the offense on him all season leading up to the trade, with teams putting all of their focus on him to force others to beat them.

One of the teams that employed that strategy was the Kings. But with Butler opening things up for the Warriors, Curry has thrived. Sacramento will now have to do their best to try and slow down the greatest shooter of all time while also not letting Butler and the rest of the Warriors get going. It's a tall task, but will be telling for a Kings team trying their best to work their way back up the standings.

Stat predictions:

Malik Monk: 19 PTS, 9 AST, 4 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK

Stephen Curry: 22 PTS, 10 AST, 5 REB, 0 STL, 0 BLK

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