SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Kings fans waited 16 years for this moment — and they didn’t disappoint.
The rowdy home crowd at Golden 1 Center turned up for Sacramento’s first taste of playoff basketball in 16 years Saturday night.
They rattled their cowbells, batted their thunder sticks and cheered their third-seeded team to a 126-123 victory over sixth-seeded Golden State.
Stephen Curry did his best to save the Warriors in the fourth, where he recorded 13 of his team-high 30 points. He made it a one-point game after muscling his way to the basket for a layup in the game’s final minute.
Curry’s attempt to tie the game at the final horn rimmed out.
After scoring just nine points in the first half, De’Aaron Fox took over the final two quarters, going 10 for 18 from the field and 4 for 5 from deep to finish with a game-high 38 points. Malik Monk added 32 points off the bench for the Kings.
The Kings made eight of their 12 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.
Most of the first half was a ping-pong match, with neither team leading by more than just a few points. The Warriors managed to build their lead up to six by the break.
The Kings closed out the last 2:30 of the third quarter with a 15-4 run, striking life into the home crowd. Monk drove through the lane for the go-ahead basket with 3.6 seconds remaining in the quarter. De’Aaron Fox stole the ball from Klay Thompson. He couldn’t get his shot off before the buzzer, but the Kings took a 91-90 lead into the fourth.
Sacramento pulled ahead by five early, but the Warriors kept pace. The defending champs comeback attempt fell short.
Andrew Wiggins made his return to the floor after missing the last 25 games to deal with a family matter. He came off the bench for the first time in his NBA career, but it didn’t impact his rhythm as he put up a solid showing despite the nearly two-month long hiatus. Wiggins finished with 17 points, three rebounds, three blocks and one assist in 28 minutes.
The best-of-seven series will continue Monday in Sacramento before heading to San Francisco.
