Golden State Warriors 123 vs 126 Sacramento Kings summary: stats and highlights | NBA Playoffs
The Sacramento Kings won their first playoff game in 17 years by holding off the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the opening round of the playoffs from the Golden 1 Center. De’Aaron Fox led the way in his first ever playoff game, scoring 38 points in the 126-123 victory.
Kings finally back
The Kings made their long awaited return to the postseason a drought that stretched nearly two decades, and awaiting them were the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
Sacramento had a lot to prove against a proven playoff team like the Warriors after their fantastic turn around season that saw them finish third in the West. They came out and showed no signs of being shaken by the big stage and shining lights of the NBA Playoffs.
The Kings and Warriors came out early going bucket for bucket as Domantas Sabonis got the home side going with 8 points and 7 rebounds in the first quarter. He would go cold for the remainder of the game, finishing with 12 points but did drag down 16 rebounds.
Fox’s playoff debut to remember
De’Aaron Fox would make up for the Lithuanian’s slow offensive night, but it took him a while to get going. It was Malik Monk who carried the Kings until the halftime break scoring 15 points off the bench, while Fox was stuck at just 9.
There were double digit lead changes and ties in the first half, and the Warriors jumped out to the largest lead of the night right before half up just six on Sacramento.
Fox and Monk close out Game 1
They would go down by as many as 10 early in the third but Fox came out of the break scorching, scoring 14 points in the third quarter as he and Trey Lyles mounted a 15-4 run going into the final 12 minutes to take the lead.
Fox and Monk paved the way to victory in the fourth quarter, scoring the 30 of the final 35 points of the game to hold off Steph Curry and the Warriors to take Game 1 in what promises to be a terrific series that could go the distance.
De'Aaron Fox put up these kinds of numbers in his first playoff game ever. Imagine what's to come from this dude over the next couple years.
Monk and Fox combined for 70 points in Game 1, and sealed the victory by scoring each of the Kings 35 points in the final quarter.
Barnes and the Kings took the late blows from Curry and the Warriors and stood standing at the end of 48 minutes to take a fantastic Game 1 from Sacramento.
After scoring just 9 points in the first half, Fox went for 29 in the second half and 15 in the final quarter.
Barnes was quiet until the fourth quarter, but had a couple big buckets on a night where he scored 13.
The Kings were down 10 in the third quarter, but went on a 15-4 run to take the lead going into the final 12 minutes.
Domantas Sabonis had a heck of a first 12 minutes, with 8 points and 7 rebounds but had a quiet final three quarters. Alex Len gave some big minutes off the bench and had a couple big dunks and a nasty block on Draymond Green in the first half.
Trey Liles hit back to back threes in the first quarter, but the Kings didn't shoot well from DT in the first half. That would change in the final 24 minutes of the game.
This was the only highlight De'Aaron Fox had in the first quarter, but as always he was saving the best for last.
Curry tried the one footed runner from downtown but it rims out and the Kings hold on to win Game 1!
Wiggins had a wide open three in the corner to take the lead but he missed it!
Monk is going to the line with 2.9 on the clock, and he hits both!
Curry going to the rack and gets a quick bucket with 50 on the clock.
Curry fouled Fox with the shot clock winding down and sends Fox to the line where he hits one of two FTs.
The challenge is successful and the foul is wiped off the board, but SAC will still have the ball.
Timeout Warriors and Kerr will challenge the foul on Wiggins with 1;09 to go in the game.
Curry drills another three ball on the step back and it's a two point game with 1:15 to go!
Fox at the line after the foul on Looney, and he hits one of two FTs.
Curry penetrates, hesitates, and gets the lay up in traffic!
Barnes stick a three ball and Sacramento is on fire from downtown in this fourth quarter! 2:30 to go in the fourth quarter.
Looney at the line after the foul on Huerter and he hits both FTs.
Fox found Sabonis down low for a wide open jam! That's his first FG since the second quarter!
Monk going back at the rack, and going back to the line after the foul on Looney. Both FTs are good.
It's Fox again from downtown and he brings this crowd back to life after the Curry three!
Curry splashes a three ball and this game looks like it's going down to the wire as both teams continue to throw haymakers!
Monk going strong to the iron and he got fouled by Looney and he hits both at the line.
Thompson gets another long ball to go, and it's raining threes here in Sacramento!!
Fox answers back with a triple of his own and he has turned it on in this second half!
Thompson takes charge out of the timeout and drills a three ball from the wing!!
Barnes goes coast to coast after grabbing the rebound and he finishes with a eurostep and finger roll!
Timeout Warriors with 5:36 to go in the 4th quarter!
Monk ties this game up with a strong drive to the rack and he finishes off the glass with six minutes to go in the game.
Curry with the step back three ball! He's been quiet tonight but how many times have we seen him turn it on at this stage in the game?
The call stands and DiVencenzo goes to the line and hits both FTs.
Lyles was called for a blocking foul after DiVencenzo went to the rack and the Kings will challenge with 8:14 to go in the fourth quarter.
Fox on the step back from the elbow and he hit it over Green.
Kuminga on the lay up and gets the foul after the offensive board from DiVencenzo. FT is good to complete the three point play.
Fox wiggles into the paint and hits the floater.
The Warriors take a timeout with 9:20 to go in the game!
DiVencenzo with a huge three ball in the corner just when it seemed like the Kings had all the momentum going their way!
Monk fouled by DiVencenzo, and he hits both FTs.
Three ball from Monk on the wing and the Kings lead by three!
Kuminga going right at Len and he gets the lay up after the eurostep.
Fox drills the step back three ball and that ignites this Golden 1 Center!!!
Green at the line after the foul on Lyles and he hits both FTs.
Fox had 14 in the quarter and Lyles was on fire from downtown to bring the Kings storming back!
That's the end of the third quarter, and what an end to the quarter it was for Sacremento!!!
They came back down from 10 down early in the quarter and they lead going into the final 12 minutes!
Lyles with another three ball!!! This time from the corner and the lead is down to one with under 30 seconds in the third quarter!!
Poole back at the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Mitchell.
Fox has all night to set up a wide open three and he nails the long ball!
Lyles banging down low and he gets the put back to go down low.
Poole at the line after the foul on Mitchell and he hits both FTs.
Lyles steps into a three ball and strokes it from the top of the key!
Wiggins misses both FTs after the foul on Monk, and that's four straight missed FTs from the Warriors.
Lyles with an offensive board of his own, and he goes up and jams it underneath.
Looney went to the line and missed both FTs, but GS got the rebound and Steph splashed a three ball!
Sabonis was fouled by Wiggins, but he missed both FT. He's 1/8 from the field since the first quarter. They need him at his best if the Kings are going to win this game.
Wiggins on the step back mid range jumper and he has 17 in his return.
Monk at the line after the timeout and he hits both FTs.
Payton II with the back door cut and Green found him for the lay up.
Timeout Kings with 4:25 to go in the third quarter.
Barnes down low and he hits the reverse lay up off the pass from Mitchell.
Wiggins answers back with a three ball after just checking back into the ball game.
Huerter breaks out in transition after the steal by Mitchell and he gets the lay up.
Barnes hits the baseline jumper from just outside the paint for his second FG of the night.
Payton gets to the iron and finishes in traffic.
Fox at the line after the foul on Green, and he hits one of two.
Thompson comes out of the timeout and hits a catch and shoot three ball!
Fox has 10 straight SAC points after a stop and pop form the baseline.
The Warriors need a timeout to figure out how to stop Fox in this third quarter.
Fox at the line after the foul on DiVencenzo and he hits both FTs. He's got 8 in the quarter already.
Thompson hits the fader from outside the lane.
Fox with six quick points out of the gate and he looks like he's wanting to take this game over from SAC.
Fox breaks up the run from the Warriors with back to back buckets and he's got 13 points on the night.
Looney on the driving lay up and the Warriors are up double digits for the first time tonight.
DiVencenzo hits the lay up in heavy traffic and the GS lead is up to 8!
Murray follows up the missed three from Huerter and tips in the offensive rebound.
Curry with the give and go with Green and he gets the floater in the lane to drop.
WE ARE BACK IN PLAY IN SACRAMENTO FOR THE SECOND HALF OF PLAY IN GAME 1!!
When the Warriors are passing like this there aren't many teams that can stop them. They go into halftime up by 6.
We usually see Curry do the turn before the ball goes in when he's red hot, but this was just his second three of the game.
Monk had 15 points off the bench for the Kings, but picked up his third foul early in the second quarter. He needs to keep that pace of play up, but be disciplined on the defensive end.
All the talk is centered around Sabonis in the paint, but don't forget about Len who had a couple big dunks and a huge swat on Draymond Green.
Lyles had back to back triples off the bench after the Kings started a little cold from downtown.
If the Kings are going to have success in this series their going to need their top scorer to perform. He had 9 in that first half of Game 1.
The Warriors leading scorers are all off the bench. Poole has 13 and Wiggins has 12 in his return. Both Curry and Thompson have 10 a piece and more importantly for GS the Warriors have the 6 point lead at half.
Sabonis got off to a great start, scoring 8 quick points and 7 rebounds but settled down in that second quarter. He has 10 and 9 at half. Fox has 9 and Monk has been the man for Sacramento with 15 points off the bench.
Curry strings the long ball with a foot on the line and that's how the first half will end!
The Warriors have their largest lead of the game heading into halftime in a game that has been skin tight since the start.
Fox gets to the FT line and floats one up and in through the lane!
Wiggins at the line after the foul on Fox and he hits both FTs, and he's got 10 points in his return.
Monk back at the line after the foul on Wiggins and he gets both FTs to go.
Wiggins follows up his own miss with a tip in and he's having a fantastic return. This Warriors team is a different side with him on the court.
Monk going back to the rack and he finds the space in traffic to get the lay up to go off the glass.
Thompson in the corner after the kick out from Wiggins and he nails a long range ball!
Monk back in to the game with 3 fouls, and he gets the short range effort to drop.
Huerter stops and pops with a floater in the lane and sees it fall.
Curry pull up from the mid range, and the Kings don't want to see him start to heat up.
Looney sends Fox to the line where he makes one of two.
Poole opened up some space with the step back three and he string the three from the wing!
Curry pulls the quick trigger from downtown, and that's just his second FG of the night.
Poole was fouled by Monk, who picks up his third, and JP hits one of two FTs.
Monk going up and under the defenders with a scoop lay up off the glass.
DiVencenzo with another dish, this time to Poole for the lay up and that will force a TO from the Kings with 7:17 to go after giving up two easy bucket and the lead.
Payton II slips past the defenders on a back cut and DiVencenzo found him for the lay up.
Monk drives into the lane and gets the roll after the lay up from high off the glass.
Monk pulls up from the top of the key and drills the three ball!
Kuminga comes out of the timeout with a jam after Green slipped him in with a bounce pass.
Monk drew the double team which left Len open to streak down the lane and get another slam!
Timeout Warriors with 9:44 to go in the half.
Kuminga got fouled by Monk and he hits one of two FTs.
Poole drills the corner three on the pump fake and step back!
Monk at the line after the foul on Kuminga and he hits both FTs.
Len got left wide open down low and Huerter found him for the easy slam.
Poole at the line to start the second quarter after the foul on Len, and he hits both FTs.
Sabonis got off to a quick start with 8 points and 7 rebounds to get the Kings going. Fox has another 6 after those last couple FTs.
Thompson had 7 quick points and he leads the Warriors after a quarter, while Wiggins had 6 points off the bench in his return. Curry is stuck on the one three pointer, but get ready for him to get hot in a hurry.
Fox was fouled by Thompson with 0.4 on the first quarter clock! Fox hits both FTs to tie things up.
We are headed to the second quarter and we are dead even from Sacramento!
Wiggins receives the dish from Looney in the lane and he goes right up with it. He's not looking like a guy who has missed the last two months.
Fox pulls up from the elbow and drills the shot over the outstretched hand of Wiggins.
Lyles drills his second three of the night, this time with a hand in his face and it is loud in the Golden 1 Center!
Looney dashing to the rack and gets the lay up to drop after the dish from Poole.
Poole drops the deep two pull on the pull up jumper and those are his first two points of the night.
Lyles drills a three ball off the bench to get the Kings back in the lead!
Wiggins gets the pull up jumper to fall and welcome back Andrew Wiggins!
Sabonis found the rebound after Murray was stuffed at the rim and he gets the put back to go.
Timeout GS with 3:44 to go in the first quarter.
Green with a nifty move in traffic to get the lay up to drop off the feed from Curry.
Mitchell jacks a three ball and drains it for the Kings' first three of the night!
Thompson with a jump stop at the elbow and feeds Payton II down low for the lay up.
Huerter on the lay up on the break and we will go to our first timeout of the game with 6:21 let in the first quarter.
Sabonis gets the slam off the feed from Huerter and that's a quick six for Domantas.
Fox on a lay up on the right side and he breaks the mini run from Thompson.
Thompson with a third straight bucket, this time with a floater and that's 7 quick points for the Splash Brother.
Thompson getting out in transition and he gets back to back buckets with the lay up to put the Warriors up 2.
Thompson opens up his account with an open three after his defender fell.
Barnes at the line after the foul on Thompson and he hits both FTs.
Fox following the missed three from Murray and he gets the tip in after crashing the boards.
Looney fouled by Murray on the lay up attempt and he hits both FTs.
Sabonis back on the board this time from under the bucket and he's off to a bright start.
Curry found DiVencenzo in the corner and Donte starts the Warriors night off with a three ball!
Sabonis going to the FT line to start this game, and he hits both FTs after the foul on Green.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM SACRAMENTO!!! GAME 1 STARTS RIGHT NOW!
It's been long time coming for these fans, and the Kings have finally broken their playoff drought. The Golden 1 Center is going to be pumping all night as postseason baskeball returns to Sacramento.
Fox and Sabonis headline the starting five for Mike Brown and the Kings. Sacramento has to protect their home court if they want to take down the defending champions.
Wiggins might be back, but he is not in the starting line up tonight against the Kings. It's the Big Three, DiVencenzo and Looney to start the game for Steve Kerr's men.
Warriors get Wiggins back for playoffs
Andrew Wiggins is set to make his long awaited return to the Golden State Warriors tonight in Sacramento. He hasn’t played since the middle of February tending to personal issues, but tonight he is set to make his comeback in the first game of the playoffs. Wiggins was instrumental in the Warriors title run last year, and now comes back to give Golden State a big boost heading into the postseason. Tonight he is expected to get around 20 minutes, but that will continue to grow as the series goes on.
GS Big Three back in playoffs
The Warriors may look a bit vulnerable coming into the postseason after struggling to secure a direct playoff spot, but one thing you can’t argue with is experience. This a veteran team that knows how to win. Golden State has never lost a playoff series in which Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson started and finished healthy. That’s what Steve Kerr’s men will be hoping tonight and for the next couple weeks as his Big Three gets ready to make another title run.
Dominant Domantas
The Sacramento Kings revolution has been led by there dynamic duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Fox has led this renaissance in Sac Town this year with 25 ppg and the son of the former NBA legend is on the verge if he hasn’t already surpassed his dad Arvydys’ legacy. He is a triple-double threat every time he walks on the court, and is averaging 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists a game. Both made the All-Star game and both were the reasons the Kings finished snapped their postseason spell.
How they got here Kings
The Sacramento Kings made a midseason move last year that drew some criticism from some, but the men and women in the front office look like geniuses this year as those trades have played out perfectly for a team that ended the game with 18 more wins then they had last year, which was good enough for third place in the Western Conference, finishing just five games behind the conference leading Denver Nuggets.
How they got here: Warriors
Blame it on injuries, blame it on a championship hangover, blame it on age but this year the Warriors have been a far cry from the team that was lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy last year. The turbulence started preseason, when videos on Drayond Green blasting Jordan Poole in the face in a preseason practice, and ever since then it’s been a bumpy road. The Warriors were hanging around Play-In position or worse for the last two months of the regular season, but everyone got healthy at the right time and they wrapped up the sixth and final direct playoff spot in the Western Conference.
We are live from Sac Town
Hello everyone and welcome to Golden 1 Center where the Kings are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The wait is over and this stadium is going to be rocking tonight in Sacramento after the Kings had an incredible turnaround following last season when they finished 12th in the West with a record of 30-52. The Warriors are looking for a repeat run to the NBA Finals and a fifth NBA title in less then a decade to cement their legacy as one of the best, if not the best, team in the history of the league. Tonight we have the first of a potential seven games against a team looking to stay on top against a team looking to get to the top after years of irrelevance.
Warriors vs. Kings
It’ s Game 1 of one of the most anticipated series of Round 1 in the NBA Playoffs as the defending champion Golden State Warriors are looking to make a run for back-to-back titles and their fifth in less than a decade. They will be going up against a team that returns to the playoffs after a near two decade postseason drought. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s can’t miss game from Cali.