Game: Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings
Time: 10:00 p.m.
Odds: Warriors -1, Kings +1
Total: 240
It was 17 years in the making. The Sacramento Kings finally made the NBA’s postseason, hosted a Round 1 playoff game and surprised everyone by beating the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in Game 1. De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 38 points, Malik Monk stunned the Warriors with 32 points off the bench, and the Kings held on for a 126-123 victory at home on Saturday night despite the Warriors missing two crucial shots in the closing seconds. Sacramento hosts Game 2 tonight giving both teams just one night off.
The Kings trailed by as many as 10 points. They were also outshot 47.8 to 44.9 percent from the floor and the Kings were outscored 48-36 on three-pointers. Fox made all three of his three-point attempts and five of nine shots overall during a 15-point fourth quarter. Monk, whose 8-for-8 free-throw shooting accounted for the majority of his 13 points in the final period, was the key contributor to Sacramento’s victory. Of the team’s final 35 points, they contributed 28 together.
Fox insisted that the support of the home crowd was the key to his team’s victory over Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who scored 30 points in the game. Domantas Sabonis helped Sacramento win the rebounding battle 50-41, including 17-9 on the offensive glass. Sabonis had a rough night on the offensive end going just 5-of-17 from the floor and ending with 12 points.
It nearly wasn’t enough. With 10.3 seconds left, Andrew Wiggins, who had missed 25 games due to personal reasons, had a chance to give Golden State a two-point lead, but his three-point attempt from the left corner missed.
Curry had a chance to force overtime after Monk increased Sacramento’s lead to three with a pair of free throws. Curry had a good look at a straightaway three-point attempt, but it clanged off the rim before time ran out.
In Kerr’s tenure as Warriors coach, the team has won four championships and advanced to the NBA Finals two other times. This was his team’s fourth Game 1 loss overall. The Warriors bounced back to win three of the four Game 2s after a Game 1 loss. In two of those three cases – one was the 2017 NBA Finals against Boston – the Warriors went on to win the series.
Wiggins returned and had 17 points, four blocks, and shot just 1-for-8 from three-point range. The Warriors have won at least one game on the road in each of 27 consecutive playoff series. Golden State is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games and 8-2 SU in its last ten against Sacramento. On the road against the Kings, Golden State is 14-5 SU in the last 19 games.
The Kings are 2-4 SU in their last six games. They are also just 1-4 ATS in their last five games at home. For the season, Sacramento was 19-23 ATS at home and 46-37 ATS overall.
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