The Sacramento Kings are for real. In the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, the host Kings won an absolute thriller of a Game 1, holding off the Golden State Warriors, 126-123, in what looks like it's going to be a wild series.
De'Aaron Fox, who is basically a lock to win the first annual Clutch Player of the Year, was fantastic in the fourth quarter again, finishing with 38 points, while Malik Monk put up 34. Those two were just too fast for the Warriors in what was a relentless attack on the paint and rim by Sacramento.
Once Sacramento's 3s started falling in the fourth, it was just too much for Golden State to try to defend everything. You might say Sacramento can't play this good again, but I would warn you, if you've haven't watched this team much, this was not some fluke performance. This is one of the best offenses in history. Fox has been absolutely dominant all season. He has a legitimate case for first-team All-NBA.
Domantas Sabonis, a potential top-five MVP finisher, only posted 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Kevon Looney and Draymond Green were incredible as interior defenders, but Sabonis is not going to be held to 12 inefficient points very often. If Monk and Fox don't repeat this performance, Sabonis is likely to pick up major slack.
Also, let's talk about Sacramento's defense. You can't tell it so much by the 123 points the Warriors scored (though you have to factor the breakneck pace into that number), but the Kings applied pressure on Steph Curry, who finished with 30, and Klay Thompson, who added 21, all night.
Golden State's ball handlers were crowded and chased, and Sacramento rotated to shooters for all it was worth. They battled. Hard. They're not going to turn into the Bad Boy Pistons any time soon, but if ever there were a tough 123 points, that was it. Golden State had to work for offense.
The Warriors played well, and there are encouraging signs moving forward -- namely Andrew Wiggins, who was nothing short of incredible considering he hasn't played in two months. Wiggins finished with 17 points and was a boost defensively and on the glass. His athleticism was sorely missed. The Warriors are a much different team with him and Gary Payton II out there.
Unfortunately, the one part of Wiggins' game that showed rust was his shooting, He finished 1 of 8 from 3, and it hurt the Warriors. He missed a wide-open corner 3 that would've given Golden State a two-point lead with 10 seconds left.
With the way Sacramento was pressuring Curry and Thompson, Wiggins is going to finds himself open for 3s. There were a few he should've put on the floor and drove, but he needs to find his shot from distance quickly because Sacramento is going to force him to make those.
"What a game," Kings coach Mike Brown said as he said down at the postgame podium.
What a game, indeed. And what a series it looks like this is going to be. Buckle up. Game 2 is set for Monday night in Sacramento.
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