SACRAMENTO -- The Kings did it.
And they did it with the odds stacked against them, pulling off a decisive 118-94 NBA Play-In Tournament win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night inside an electric Golden 1 Center.
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Revenge never tasted so sweet, as No. 9-seeded Sacramento eliminated a Golden State team that ended its previous season in a first-round playoff series that went seven back-and-forth games.
Now, the Kings' playoff hopes remain alive, and they'll pack their bags for New Orleans to face the Pelicans, who lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. PT. The winner of that game will be the Western Conference's No. 8 playoff seed and play the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder in a first-round series. One problem for the Kings: They haven't beaten the Pelicans in five tries this season, so they'll to end that trend to advance.
They did end another trend Tuesday: They hadn't won a winner-take-all postseason game since moving to Sacramento in 1985 (0-6). But as this squad has proven time and again, yesterday isn't today.
Here are three takeaways from Sacramento's enormous win.
NBA
Keegan aggressive all night
Keegan Murray showed the NBA world what he can do from beyond the arc last season, surpassing Donovan Mitchell for the NBA's single-season 3-point rookie record. He was asked to take a leap defensively in his sophomore season, though, and also was challenged to elevate his offensive game and create his own shots more, rather than just pulling up from deep.
Check and check.
As a result, though, Murray's percentages hadn't been as consistent as he'd like them to be. He shot 35.8 percent from beyond the arc, a drop from 41.1 percent last season. But with the Kings missing two key offensive pieces in Malik Monk and Kevin Huerter, he had to step up -- and did.
Murray didn't waste any time, knocking down four 3-pointers in the first quarter. He led all scorers after the opening frame with 14 points.
Murray cooled down in the second quarter as the Warriors made adjustments, adding just two more points to finish the first half with 16, but he resurged in the second half to finish with a game- and team-high 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the field and 8 of 13 from 3-point range. He also added nine rebounds and two steals in 38 minutes.
Fox wins matchup vs. Steph
A large amount of fans arrived early at Golden 1 Center to cheer on their favorite superstars during pregame warmups. Kids sporting De'Aaron Fox and Steph Curry jerseys anxiously shouted out each star’s name, hoping their idols would recognize them.
Curry’s pregame routine is a show on its own, and usually a tease of what’s to come about an hour afterward. Meanwhile, about 80 feet across to the other baseline, Fox was getting to work. Both players were locked in.
The last time Curry was in Sacramento for a postseason game, it was Game 7 of the last year's first-round playoff series against the Kings. He put on a historic performance, dropping 50 points and ending the Kings’ storybook season.
There was no 50-piece this time from the NBA's all-time 3-point king, but he without a doubt was the best player on his team. He finished with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, and he added four rebounds, two assists and two steals (but with a team-high six turnovers) in 36 minutes.
He received little help from the Warriors' other stars, too. Klay Thompson went scoreless for the first time since his rookie season on 0-of-10 shooting from the field and missed all of his six 3-point attempts, and Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins had just 12 points each.
Fox was Fox for the Kings, though Murray’s big night allowed him to not have to do too much. He finished with 24 points on 11-of-25 shooting from the field and 2 of 8 from deep.
Fox also had six assists, four rebounds, two steals and only one turnover in 39 minutes.
The Keon Ellis effect
This was Ellis' first postseason experience, but you couldn’t tell.
The second-year pro, who singlehandedly helped spark Sacramento’s defensive turnaround late this season, continued his two-way excellence against Golden State.
Ellis was all over the floor on both sides, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 3 of 4 from deep. He added five assists, four rebounds, three steals and three blocks in 39 minutes.
The Warriors and Kings know each other all too well, but Golden State wasn't too familiar with Ellis, who played in only one of the team's regular-season matchups.
Well, welcome to Ellis Island, Warriors.