Did we just witness the end of an era? The Sacramento Kings destroyed the Golden State Warriors 118 to 94 in the first play-in game on Tuesday, April 16th. Despite having a decent lead for most of the game, I think we were all holding our breath, knowing that the Kings have blown several double-digit leads this season. While De’Aaron Fox was his usual self, posting a modest 24 points along with four rebounds, six assists, and two steals, the story of the night was second-year player Keegan Murray and his game-high 32 points. Fox was beaming when asked about Murray’s development since last year’s devastating loss to the Warriors in game seven of the first round of the playoffs. “He worked on his game a ton,” Fox said. “We played a lot of one-on-one. He got more comfortable dribbling the ball and creating his own shot, coming off dribble handoffs and things like that. Obviously we want to see it on a consistent basis. But just seeing that come to fruition and seeing the work he put in all summer, especially on a big stage like this, it’s definitely great to see.” Murray finished with eight three-pointers and also nine rebounds, and two steals.
The Kings seem to have figured something out defensively; their defense has really stepped it up in the last few weeks of the regular season, and on Tuesday, their defense really shined. They held the Warriors to under 100 points, which includes only 48 total points for their starters. Klay Thompson, half of the iconic “Splash Brothers” duo with Stephen Curry during the Warriors heyday, scored a whopping ZERO points. The Kings forced 16 turnovers on 10 steals and had 15 offensive rebounds, which led to 25 second-chance points. It was all around an amazing night, and hopefully, it will give the Kings the momentum they need because the next game isn’t going to be easy.
The Kings move on to game two of the Play-in Tournament this Friday, April 19th, and will face our arch-nemesis, the New Orleans Pelicans, who beat us five times in the regular season. But like Fox said after the game, “It’s hard to beat a team six times in a row,” and they all sound ready for the opportunity to “put up or shut up” in their last chance to get into the playoffs.
I know we all couldn’t help but think of Game 2 implications when Pelican’s Zion Williamson exited the court in the final minutes of their Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. Williamson, who scored 40 points, had been a force for the Pelicans this season after finally having a healthy season, playing in a career-high 70 games. He looked pissed when he left the court with what we now know is a hamstring injury; tests will be conducted on Wednesday.
With or without Williamson, it’s not going to be easy for the Kings, but they seem up to the challenge. Let’s hope that with their new defensive intensity and their offense finding its flow, we can see a second post-season series in a row for the Kings. If they win, they will take on the No. 1 seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder. I’m not ready for the season to be over, so let’s get it done and light that beam!