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De'Aaron Fox comes up big as Sacramento Kings win their first playoff game in 17 years.
The Sacramento Kings recorded a 126-123 victory at home against the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Western Conference playoff round one fixture played in the early hours of Sunday, April 16, 2023.
The Sacramento Kings returned to the playoffs for the first time in 16 years as they finished third in the Western Conference at the end of the regular season.
The Warriors are the reigning champions but struggled all season only to take the sixth seed and avoid the play-in.
The Kings led by former Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown fared well to start their playoff journey as both sides put up 29 points in a back-and-forth first quarter.
The Warriors got into their rhythm in the second quarter as they put up 32 points to establish a six-point lead going to the halftime break.
The Kings without much playoff experience were turned up by their home fans in the third quarter to produce a massive run and overturn the deficit to take a one-point lead.
The Kings' second unit began to pull away in the fourth quarter but the warriors stayed close.
Andrew Wiggins returning from a long layoff had the opportunity to tie the game but the missed.
Malik Monk made clutch free throws to give the Kings a three-point lead as Steph Curry missed a three-point shot to tie the game.
De'Aaron Fox masterful debut guides Kings past Warriors
The Sacramento Kings' first playoff win in 17 years was spearheaded by some brilliant basketball by point-guard De'Aaron Fox.
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In his first playoff game, the Fox went toe to toe with reigning Finals MVP Steph Curry.
Fox put up 38 points the second most by a player in a debut playoff game.
He also grabbed one rebound and provided five assists to go along with three steals.
He made 13 of his 27 shots, including four of eight from three-point range, and was eight of 12 from the free-throw line.
Fox and Brown explain Kings' win against the Warriors
Fox was full of praise for the Kings fan base for sticking with the team for 17 years without a place in the playoffs.
Fox was given the responsibility to light the beam and at the post-game press conference said, “Sacramento showed out tonight. “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.”
Kings Head Coach Mike Brown explained that Fox has the ability to produce big numbers as he did against the Warriors.
A former assistant coach with the Warriors, Brown heaped praise on Fox a nominee for the Clutch Player award.
He said, “You need guys like that on your side because they know everything that we’re throwing at them.
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NBA Chimezie Metu celebrates as Sacramento Kings make playoffs for the 1st time in 16 years
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“There’s no secrets. You have to have guys on your team that can go make plays and Foxy went and made plays tonight.”
The Kings now take on the Warriors in game two scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
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