(KTXL) — It was a roaring scene at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday night, as the Sacramento Kings made their long-awaited return to the playoffs.
The Kings take a 1-0 series lead after defeating the Golden State Warriors in a thrilling 124-123 victory in Game 1 of a first-round series being dubbed the “Battle for NorCal.”
It was the Kings’ first playoff game in nearly 17 years. Game 2 will take place Monday at the Golden 1 Center at 7 p.m.
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After only having nine points at halftime, Kings’ all-star point guard De’Aaron Fox finished with a game-high 38 points. Malik Monk scored 32 points off the bench for the Kings and Domantas Sabonis recorded a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Trey Lyles scored 16 points for the Kings after going 4-for-6 from the 3-point line.
Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry finished the night with 30 points while three other Golden State Warriors scored in double figures. Klay Thompson finished with 21 points, while Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole each had 17 points.
The Kings enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference in their first postseason game since 2006. The Warriors, the NBA’s defending champions, are the No. 6 seed in the West.
It’s the first-ever playoff matchup between the Northern California squads and the first time both teams made the postseason at the same time.
In the regular season, Sacramento had the top-scoring offense at 120.7 points per game while the Warriors were second with an average of 118.9 points.
Live Updates below
FINAL — Kings win 126-123, take a 1-0 series lead
4Q: 2.9 seconds — Kings lead 126-123
4Q: 1:09 — Kings lead 123-121
4Q: 4:01 — Kings lead 112-111
4Q: 9:20 — Kings lead 101-97, Warriors call timeout
End of third quarter: Kings lead Warriors 91-90. Sacramento ended the quarter on a 15-4 run
3Q: 54.3 seconds — Warriors lead 89-86
3Q: 4:25 — Warriors lead 81-74
3Q: 7:16 — Kings guard De’Aaron Fox makes it a four-point game, Warriors lead 71-67
3Q: 10:17 — Warriors lead 67-57, their largest lead of the game
Halftime: Warriors lead Kings 61-55, Monk leads Sacramento in scoring with 15 points and Poole has a team-high 13 points for Golden State
2Q: 1:59 — Malik Monk of the Kings makes two free throws to cut the Warriors’ lead to 55-53
2Q: 7:17 — Poole makes a basket to give Warriors 41-40, Kings call timeout
2Q: 9:31 — Game tied 35-35 after Alex Len makes a dunk for the Kings
2Q: 10:23 — Warriors guard Jordan Poole makes a three-pointer for a 34-33 lead
End of 1st quarter: Game tied 29-29 after Kings guard De’Aaron Fox makes two free throws
1Q: 3:44 —Game tied 19-19
1Q: 6:21 — Warriors lead Kings 15-14
1Q: 11:05 — Sabonis makes both free throws, giving the Kings a 2-0 lead
1Q: 11:05 — Domantas Sabonis scores the Kings’ first playoff points in 16 seasons with a free throw
1Q: 12:00 — Warriors win the tip-off
