After ending the longest playoff drought in NBA history, De’Aaron Fox and the Sacramento Kings made the most of their 16-year return to the postseason with a dramatic 126-123 win over the Golden State Warriors. The fans were electrifying, whether outside long before the game, inside Golden 1 Center, or after lighting the beam, it was a memorable night.
“Sacramento showed out tonight,” Fox said. “But doing this for the fans, just knowing the way that they support this team through thick and thin — really thin. It’s just a testament to the way they are.”
Fox scored 29 of his 38 points in the second half, including a go-ahead 3-pointer to put the Kings up 115-114 with 3:50 left in regulation. While some players may get impacted by nerves or inexperience in their first NBA playoff game, Fox trailed only Luka Doncic for the most points scoring in a postseason debut in the league’s history.
“You need guys like that on your side because they know everything that we’re throwing at them,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “There’s no secrets. You have to have guys on your team that can go make plays and Foxy went and made plays tonight.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS SCORES: De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Curry, Sacramento Kings & Golden State Warriors Updates
In a game in that Domantas Sabonis was contained to just 12 points while shooting 5-17 from the floor, Malik Monk filled the needed role of being Fox’s sidekick with a staggering 32 points off the bench. Among Monk’s many contributions included making a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds remaining in regulation, pushing the Kings’ lead to 126-123.
Stephen Curry did what he could to put the Warriors over the top, scoring 13 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter. With Monk converting both tries from the line, Curry didn’t have much time to get a great look on the final shot with the chance to send it to overtime. He took a tough floater that was offline.
“That first game is kind of a feeling out process,” Curry said. “We responded. That’s what we are capable of doing. It was a high energy game from start to finish.”
NBA NEWS & PLAYOFFS SCORES: De’Aaron Fox, Stephen Curry, Sacramento Kings & Golden State Warriors Updates
Klay Thompson shot just 5-14 from deep but finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Overall, the lack of perimeter shooting accuracy was a team-wide theme for much of the Warriors’ rotation outside of Curry, who was 6-14. Golden State hoisted up 50 attempts from 3-point range but converted only 16, marking a 32.0 percent conversion rate.
The Warriors did receive tough makes from distance from Thompson and Curry in clutch time, but Fox answered them back multiple times. However, Harrison Barnes’ pull-up 3 after receiving an inbounds pass pushed the Kings up by six with about two and a half minutes in regulation. Curry responded with a tough behind-the-back move into a triple, then a drive and finish to give the Warriors a chance.
Andrew Wiggins had a chance to put the Warriors up with under 10 seconds remaining in regulation, but his wide-open corner 3 was off, bouncing off the rim and giving the Kings possession with a 124-123 lead. It was Golden State’s final chance to regain the lead, but ultimately failed.
“That last one felt amazing,” Wiggins said of the last shot. “Only up from here. … I’m here to compete and I believe in myself.”
The Warriors had given up 17 offensive rebounds, with Sabonis (five) and Harrison Barnes (four) combining for nine, matching Golden State’s total. It also didn’t help the Dubs’ cause to allow a 16-5 differential in points off turnovers. It was an undisciplined outing that forced them to be too heavily reliant on Curry’s late-game heroics to save them.
The Kings and Warriors have a quick turnaround before returning for Game 2 on Monday. The matchup will take place in Sacramento before heading to Chase Arena in San Francisco, less than two hours away.
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