De'Aaron Fox scored a playoff-high 38 points in his first-ever playoff game as the Sacramento Kings defeated the defending champion Golden State Warriors 126-123 in the first game of their first-round series in the NBA last night. Fox teamed up with Malik Monk to score 28 points in the fourth quarter, marking the Kings' return to the playoffs after a 17-year absence.
The second game of the series, which is a best-of-seven format, will take place Monday night in Sacramento as well.
The Warriors controlled most of the first three quarters and led by ten points, but the Kings fought back late in the fourth quarter with Fox and Monk leading the charge. Fox gave the Kings a 115-114 lead with a three-pointer with 3 minutes and 50 seconds remaining, and the gap widened to six points with 2 minutes and 35 seconds left to play.
Stephen Curry narrowed the gap for the Warriors with a three-pointer to make it 123-121 with 1 minute and 19 seconds to go, but his teammate Andrew Wiggins, who returned to play for the Warriors after 25 games for personal reasons, missed a three-pointer with ten seconds remaining.
Monk finished the game with 32 points, including two free throws with 2.9 seconds left, while Curry ended up scoring 30 points and Klay Thompson added 21 points. This victory marks the Kings' first-ever playoff win against their North Carolina rival.
