Monk, Fox lead Kings past Warriors 118-99 to force Game 7
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Sacramento Kings challenged themselves to play with the very identity that got them this far in the first place: Push the ball in transition, make all the hustle plays, defend with fury.
When Stephen Curry came through on a big 3-pointer or driving layup, the Kings delivered to maintain momentum. Time and again they quieted a raucous crowd counting on celebrating another victorious playoff series.
Not just yet, Dub Nation. Coach Mike Brown’s Kings are determined to do more in their return to the postseason stage — they want to Light the Beam back home in California’s capital.
Malik Monk scored 28 points, De’Aaron Fox added 26 points and 11 assists, and the playoff-newcomer Kings staved off elimination in their first-round playoff series by beating Curry and the Golden State Warriors 118-99 on Friday night in Game 6.
Now, a winner-takes-all Game 7 is back in Sacramento on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a big opportunity,” Fox said.
Rookie Keegan Murray scored 15 points with four 3-pointers and grabbed 12 rebounds for his first playoff double-double, and the No. 3-seeded Kings withstood every scoring surge the defending champions made on their home court and shined in nearly every facet of this one with their special season on the line.
Kevin Huerter, struggling with his shot all series — 20 of 52 coming into the game — hit a 3 with 6:23 to go and another with 4:58 left as Sacramento gave its fans at least one more chance to cheer these upstart Kings.
“This is exactly what I expected and I expect a little bit more from both teams in Golden 1,” Monk said. “We’re going to be prepared.”
Curry scored 29, Klay Thompson 22 and Kevon Looney pulled down 13 more rebounds to give him an NBA-leading 85 this postseason. He was coming off a career-high 22 rebounds in a Game 5 win at Golden 1 Center.
But the Kings, in the postseason for the first time since 2006, answered almost every big play by Golden State in the third quarter and capitalized on regular miscues. They outhustled the Warriors to the boards.
“I thought we played hard but we didn’t play smart. We didn’t execute our game plan,” Looney said. “We know what we needed to do to win. All the small things, getting back in transition, the box-outs, the turnovers, different things like that, we didn’t execute.”
The Kings led 90-80 heading into the final 12 minutes. Curry hit an early 3, only for Trey Lyles to connect moments later. When Curry drove for a layup the next possession, Monk made one of his own.
Curry’s 3 with 9:28 left got Golden State within 99-89 before Fox hit.
Fox’s first points came on a jumper with 2:18 left in the first on his first shot. He then scored again the next time down still dealing with a broken index finger on his shooting hand. He shot 10 for 18.
Sacramento snapped a six-game losing streak on the Warriors’ home floor, dating to a win on Feb. 25, 2020.
“They came out with more force and more energy and they executed better. The right team won, that’s for sure,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They came in and earned the victory. And now we’ve got to regroup and get ready for Game 7.”
Lyles wound up with 12 points and 10 rebounds as others picked up the slack with Domantas Sabonis in foul trouble. The big man had seven points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 5:17 left.
Fox had been frustrated with his poor fourth quarter in Wednesday’s 123-116 defeat in which he went 0 for 6 from the field and was scoreless — the most shots he had ever taken in a final period without scoring.
Draymond Green came off the bench for a third straight game and received a rousing standing ovation when checking in for the first time at the 6:26 mark of the opening quarter. He had 10 assists.
Both teams took a while to warm up, with Sacramento starting 6 for 23 and Golden State 6 of 19.
The Kings were unfazed.
“We’ve had a great spirit, we have all year. We’ve responded all year,” Huerter said. “We didn’t lose faith. We knew we had a Game 7 back at home. We’re capable of winning in this building. Our offense has been asleep I think most of this series. We just know if we can get back to ourselves we could continue this series. We did that tonight. But our confidence never wavered.”
TIP-INS
Kings: Sacramento’s bench outscored the Warriors’ reserves 52-21. … The Kings were 4 of 16 to start from deep but finished 17 of 45. … Sabonis suffered a cut under his left eye on a jump ball with Looney in the second quarter.
Warriors: Curry missed three free throws, practically unheard of, as his team went 25 of 35 from the line. … The Warriors gave up 23 points on their 19 turnovers. … Green picked up his third foul at the 7:09 mark of the second quarter. … Golden State is 8-3 in Game 6s dating back to their 2015 title run and 22-11 in close-out games.
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Lakers obliterate Grizzlies 125-85, advance to 2nd round
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James made sure the Lakers had the appropriate urgency for a closeout playoff game. Their raucous fans constantly urged them to end an infuriating decade without a postseason celebration on the Lakers’ home court.
When that much passion coincided with a spectacular defensive performance by Anthony Davis, the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t stand a chance.
Davis had 16 points and 14 rebounds while blocking five shots and dominating the paint, D’Angelo Russell scored a career playoff-high 31 points and Los Angeles completed its first-round upset of the Grizzlies with a 125-85 victory in Game 6 on Friday night.
James scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting for the seventh-seeded Lakers, who emphatically clinched a playoff series in their own arena for the first time since 2012.
“It was definitely a Game 7 mentality for us,” James said. “We understood that we had an opportunity to play in front of our fans, and we wanted to try to end it tonight. We came out with a discipline. From the start of the game, we were just locked in on our game plan all the way until the final seconds.”
The Lakers won all three of their home games in the series, and the final victory was a scary demonstration of their capabilities when James and Davis are both healthy alongside their full supporting cast.
Davis’ imposing defensive presence largely shut down Memphis’ offense in Game 6, while Russell’s five 3-pointers highlighted a slick offensive effort from a late-blooming team with championship aspirations.
“We didn’t want to go back to Memphis, to say the least,” said Austin Reaves, who had 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds. “We wanted to end it tonight, home court, so we were super locked-in.”
The Lakers took a 20-point lead in the first half and went up by 36 in the third quarter before coasting to victory in front of superfan Jack Nicholson and a sellout crowd. James and Davis even got to sit out the entire fourth quarter, preserving their legs for the second round.
Los Angeles opens its next series on the road Tuesday against the winner of Sunday’s Game 7 between Sacramento and defending champion Golden State.
“This thing is just getting started,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said. “We passed Level 1. Now we’ve got to start shifting our focus to whoever comes out of that game on Sunday. LeBron had some great words of wisdom he shared after the game. It’s about us, just as much as it’s about our opponent. We have to be the best versions of ourselves.”
Ja Morant scored 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting for the Grizzlies, who won 107 games and two Southwest Division titles in the past two seasons, but just one playoff series.
Morant’s injured right hand appeared to hamper his shot, and he seemed unwilling to drive the paint with his usual fearlessness while Davis loomed in the middle. Morant’s teammates couldn’t pick him up: Desmond Bane, who guaranteed a Game 7, had 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting, while Jaren Jackson Jr. had 14 on 3-of-12 shooting.
“We didn’t play our best basketball at all, in my opinion, in these six games,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We got two wins in this series, but we were far from where we needed to play. Discipline, execution, defensively, the urgency, and then just our production on offense. … (we’ve) just got to find ways to get better. This is a feeling we’ve got to remember. It’s got to motivate us. It’s got to be understood that this is part of our evolution as a team.”
Dillon Brooks, the Memphis agitator who dismissed James as “old” after Game 2 and then got ejected from Game 3 for striking James in the groin, finished a dismal series performance with 10 points in Game 6 while Lakers fans booed his every move.
Brooks left the Grizzlies’ locker room before reporters were allowed in.
“People are going to talk,” said Davis, who blocked 26 shots in the series. “We’ve had some trash talk on the court in the series, but all the talking in the media, we just go out and let our game talk.”
The Grizzlies had the second-worst road record among the NBA’s 16 playoff teams in the regular season, and they lost all five of their road games against the Lakers this season.
JACK’S BACK
The 86-year-old Nicholson watched his beloved team for the first time since October 2021, returning to his usual seats alongside his son. The Lakers’ most famous fan has been a fixture at courtside for the last half-century, and the Oscar-winning actor got a huge ovation from his fellow supporters whenever his face appeared on the scoreboard.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Luke Kennard sat out with a sore shoulder, further hurting the depth on a roster already missing Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke. Kennard got a stinger in Game 5. … Xavier Tillman scored two points in 18 minutes.
Lakers: James won his 40th career playoff series, tying Derek Fisher for the most in NBA history. … LA has won 14 of its last 18 games. … Nicholson’s return was the highlight of a celebrity-studded night at courtside, where the fans included Larry David, Dr. Dre, Adele and Kyrie Irving, who got a big hug from James before the game. Irving is a free agent this summer, and he has been linked to a reunion with James repeatedly in recent years.
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