Kings outmuscle Warriors to take 2-0 lead in series; Fox and Sabonis each score 24 points
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Sacramento Kings in the Playoffs
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De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis scored 24 points apiece to lead the Kings to a 114-106 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series Monday night at Golden 1 Center.
The Kings took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as the teams trek Interstate 80 to the Bay Area for Games 3 and 4 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Warriors star Draymond Green was thrown out of the game and could be facing a possible suspension after stomping on Sabonis in the fourth quarter. Green received an automatic ejection after being issued a Flagrant 2 foul with 7:03 remaining.
Green them climbed up on the Warriors’ bench in a show of defiance, inciting the crowd while officials reviewed the play. All of this unfolded with NBA commissioner Adam Silver sitting about four rows behind the TNT broadcast table.
The Kings came out cold for the second game in a row, starting 0 of 11 from 3-point range after going 2 of 11 to begin Game 1. The Kings didn’t make a 3-pointer until Fox drained one with 1:16 to play in the first quarter.
Kings coach Mike Brown went 10 deep in the opening period while searching for answers, bringing Monk, Davion Mitchell, Terence Davis, Trey Lyles and Alex Len off the bench. Nothing worked. The Kings shot 38.1% from the field and an abysmal 7.7% from 3-point range while the Warriors shot 47.4% and made 3 of 8 (.375) from beyond the arc.
The first quarter was a struggle, but the Kings came alive in the second. Monk made three 3-pointers in a span of 1:51 to help the Kings open the quarter with a 13-4 run. They tied the game on Monk’s second 3-pointer and took a 30-27 lead on his third.
And they didn’t stop there.
Sacramento outscored Golden State 23-8 over the first 5:16 to take a 40-31 lead on a breakaway dunk by Mitchell. The Kings went up by 10 on a free throw by Sabonis.
The Warriors came back to tie the game on a 3-pointer by Curry, but the Kings offered an immediate response. Mitchell came up with a steal, leading to a dunk by Barnes, and Sabonis made two free throws with 4.2 seconds remaining, giving Sacramento a 58-52 lead at the half.
The Warriors committed five team fouls in the first 1:42 in the third quarter to put the Kings in the bonus early, but disaster really struck moments later when Kevon Looney picked up his fourth and fifth fouls, sending him to the bench with 6:51 to play in the third quarter.
Green, who was on the bench with four fouls, had to come on to replace Looney at center. That left the Warriors with no answer for Sabonis, who gave the Kings their largest lead of the game when he hit a jump hook over Green to put Sacramento up 77-64. The Kings would lead by as many as 14 before the Warriors battled back to cut the deficit to six on a basket by Wiggins.
The Kings led 83-75 going into the fourth quarter. The Warriors were only down by four when Green got ejected. The Warriors got within one on a 3-pointer by Klay Thompson, but the Kings answered with an 8-2 run to take a commanding lead in the series.
This story was originally published April 17, 2023 at 9:54 PM.
