Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after making a basket in the second half Game Six of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on April 28, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox combined for 54 points and the Sacramento Kings forced a seventh and decisive game in their Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors with a front-running, 118-99 victory in San Francisco on Friday.
The third-seeded Kings will get the finale of the best-of-seven at home on Sunday, earning a shot at their first playoff-series win in 19 years. In addition, another Sacramento win would eliminate the rival Warriors, the NBA’s defending champions.
The Kings led by as many as 11 points in the second quarter and never looked back, not only keeping the Warriors at arm’s length throughout final period but also building upon a 10-point advantage with 12 minutes to go.
Shooting with confidence for a team that led the Western Conference in road wins this season, Monk led the way with 28 points, helping the visitors run up a 52-21 advantage in points off the bench. Fellow reserve Trey Lyles also contributed 12 points for the Kings, who had fallen to the brink of elimination with a home loss in Game 5 on Wednesday.
De’Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings drives on Kevon Looney #5 and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors in the second half of Game Six of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at Chase Center on April 28, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
Fox had 26 points and Keegan Murray 15, with each finding time to complete a double-double. Fox accumulated a game-high 11 assists, while Murray grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds.
“We wanted to hit first, hit second, and hit last, and I think we did a good job of that tonight,” said Fox, who again excelled despite playing with a broken left index finger.
Murray shot 4-for-13 on 3-point attempts and Kevin Huerter 3-for-8 on a 12-point night, propelling the Kings to 17-for-45 (37.8 percent) success from beyond the arc. Sacramento held a 51-30 advantage in points off threes in the game, with Golden State going just 10-for-32 (31.3 percent).
Led by Murray, Domantas Sabonis (11) and Lyles (10 as part of a double-double), the Kings dominated the boards to the tune of 53-42 overall and 18-11 on the offensive end.
Stephen Curry had a game-high 29 points and Klay Thompson 22 for the sixth-seeded Warriors, who haven’t been in a Game 7 since winning at Houston in 2018 Western finals en route to the NBA championship.
Season on the line.
De’Aaron Fox delivers.The #KiaClutch winner puts up 26 points and 11 assists to force GAME 7! pic.twitter.com/Q1eBa24zHL
— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2023
Curry shot 5-for-12 from 3-point range, but his teammates went just 5-for-20. Thompson struggled at 2-for-9, while Andrew Wiggins was 0-for-3 on a 13-point night.
The Warriors’ Kevon Looney was the game’s leading rebounder with 13, while Draymond Green had a team-high 10 assists.
“I thought the Kings were the aggressor from the start, putting a lot of pressure on us defensively,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We just never got into our game, but I give Sacramento credit for that.
“They came out with more force and more energy. The right team won tonight, that’s for sure. Now we’ve got to regroup and get ready for game seven.”
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