SACRAMENTO – If this Warriors-Kings first-round playoff series follows the white-hot template of Game 1 on Saturday, the NBA will be popping its collective collar after every final buzzer.
Golden 1 Center, hosting its first postseason game, was rocking for a full 48 minutes. The Warriors and Kings were throwing flames at each other, the defending champions mining their experience in hopes it would subdue the plucky playoff rookies.
The Kings, however, were unwilling to play as cast. In the fourth quarter, when the game was in the balance, they declined to back off. Or even flinch.
That was too much for the Warriors to beat back, leaving them with a 126-123 loss that will ache for a couple days, at least until the teams clash again Monday for Game 2. Sacramento takes a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference series.
“It was a high-energy game from start to finish and we had a good look in the corner to go up two down the stretch,” Stephen Curry said. “On the road, the lesson is that every momentum swing matters, no matter who you’re playing – but especially with an offense like they have.”
The Warriors, Klay Thompson and Curry in particular, were torching the nets down the stretch, combining for 19 points in the fourth quarter on 7-of-12 shooting. But Sacramento, led by star point guard De’Aaron Fox and Sixth Man Malik Monk, was giving it right back – and then some. They combined for 28 in the fourth.
Repeat: Fox and Monk, each making his playoff debut, outdueled Curry and Thompson at winning time. That’s not devastating for the Warriors, but it’s significant for the Kings.
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“They made plays down the stretch,” Draymond Green said. “They got to the free throw line. And we missed a couple shots that we’ll make.”
When a Curry 3-ball gave the Warriors a 105-103 lead, Monk’s reply was a game-tying layup, followed by a go-ahead layup by Harrison Barnes.
When Thompson splashed a 3 to put Golden State back in front, 108-107, Fox replied with a 3 of his own, followed by another from Klay to put the Warriors back in front. A couple free throws by Monk preceded a Curry 3 that gave the Warriors their last lead, 114-112, with 4:03 left.
A Fox 3-ball 13 seconds later put the Kings ahead to stay.
“He was great; he made four 3s in the second half,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Fox, who scored 29 of his game-high 38 points in the second half. “He’s one of those guys that if he going to shoot 3s like that, it’s going to be a tough night. You have to play the odds, especially with all the shooting they have on the floor. He made some big ones. You give him some credit.”
What crushed the Warriors as much as Fox and Monk was Sacramento’s tireless rebounding in the second half. Golden State had the edge in that battle in the first half, 25-23, but the Kings posted a 27-16 advantage in the second, with a 12-7 margin in the fourth quarter.
Sacramento’s 10 offensive rebounds in the second half led to 14 of its 21 second-chance points.
“That really hurt our momentum,” Kerr said. “It’s tough to win a playoff game when your opponent gets eight more field-goal attempts. That was a direct result of the offensive boards.”
The Warriors came away feeling optimistic despite the result. Andrew Wiggins, coming off the bench for the first time in his career, played well in his return after a two-month absence. Curry was productive, with a team-high 30 points and six assists, but committed five turnovers.
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The Kings were the more efficient team, in the fourth quarter, when it mattered most. In addition to owning the glass, they shot better (52.6 percent to 41.7) from the field and got to the line more often.
“This is what the playoffs are about,” Curry said. “Guys making plays. The first game is a feeling-out process.”
There is no more feeling out. The Warriors are getting every bit, maybe more, of the battle they might have anticipated from the NBA’s most prolific offense. And they now know their opponent has not an ounce of trepidation.