SACRAMENTO -- It is the best two words in all of sports: Game seven.
It was the first one played in Sacramento since 2002. And with the intensity the Golden State Warriors and Kings first-round NBA playoff series brought, Sunday's game did not disappoint. In the end, the defending champions used their experience behind the reigning NBA Finals MVP to come out victorious.
Here are the takeaways from the Kings’ season-ending 120-100 loss.
A miserable second half
The Kings used their youth and speed to set the pace in their Game 6 win, and it was an important piece of Mike Brown’s puzzle to beating the Warriors in Game 7.
They had a similar start to Game 7, but this time, the Warriors had the answers. Much like the rest of the series, the Kings and Warriors went back and forth early in the contest.
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After shooting 1 of 8 from behind the arc to start the game, the Kings shot 4 of 6 (66.7 percent) from 3-point range the rest of the first quarter for a one-point lead.
It played out almost exactly the same in the second quarter, as Sacramento outscored Golden State by one point once again.
At the half, the Kings had a 58-56 lead. But the defending champions had more in store. It was as if the Kings took a nap in the locker room during the break, and came out in the third quarter half-awake.
The third quarter was pivotal for the Warriors, who outscored the Kings 35-23 in the quarter and never lost the lead again. Sacramento wasn't able to recover from it, and it cost them the game.
Second-unit magic
Facing elimination, Mike Brown made adjustments in Game 6 that worked for the Kings.
With the unstable performances from starters Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes through the course of the series, Brown turned to his bench with Sacramento’s season-long antidote: Next man up.
The Kings’ depth has been reliable all season, and it was no different in the postseason.
Similar to Game 6, Trey Lyles and Terence Davis played significant minutes on Sunday and, once again, made an immediate impact. Malik Monk, who has been huge for the Kings all series, did what he does best by providing a high-energy boost off the bench.
At the half, Sacramento’s bench outscored Golden State’s 25-8.
Monk and Davis led the bench with 14 points apiece, while Lyles added six.
Sacramento’s bench outscored Golden State’s 40 – 18, but when you have a player like Steph Curry, not much needs to happen off the bench.
Curry vs. Fox
What a show the star point guards put on in this series.
Steph Curry entered the contest averaging 28.3 points in four career Game 7s. On Sunday, he was the sole reason for Golden 1 Center’s abrupt silence and gave the few Warriors fans in attendance something to cheer for.
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Curry dropped 50 points in the game, the most points scored in a Game 7 in NBA history.
He was 20 of 38 from the field and 7 of 18 from behind the arc, adding eight rebounds and six assists in 38 minutes.
De’Aaron Fox, playing through a fractured index finger on his left shooting hand, was solid for Sacramento -- but it just wasn’t enough. The 25-year-old has been brilliant in his first-ever NBA playoff series.
Fox came into the game averaging 29.3 points on 44.5 percent shooting from the field, 5.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists. On Sunday, he finished with 16 points on 5-of-19 shooting from the field and 3 of 10 from downtown.