'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABcAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgcQAAIDAAMAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFABESB0FRAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADBBEBAAMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQACA1Gh/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDKsfGtULfjTp55gsiKSKsZHkSFXKk9v4DP56PkH95FaHyRvVb9qCPLwGSKeRFZ67liFYgFuvvjjh4q50t2o+SrdaaNRZ//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Sacramento Kings are known to have some of the loudest fans in the NBA. For the first time since 2006, the rabid home crowd finally had something to lustily cheer on and troll.
With 58.7 seconds left in the game and the Kings clinging to a 123-121 lead, a fan shouted at Steph Curry:
“40 on your f**king head!”
The game was far from decided at that point but the fan was so engaged that he couldn’t help himself take a shot at Curry. 40, which was supposed to be 38, was in reference to De’Aaron Fox’s incredible playoff debut.
Fox’s 38 points is the second-highest in a postseason debut in NBA history. Only Luka Doncic’s 42-point masterpiece for the Dallas Mavericks against the LA Clippers in 2020 is better.
The wiry point guard struggled in the first 24 minutes of the game. It took him some time to adjust to the intensity and physicality of the playoffs. Gary Payton II, Donte DiVincenzo and Andrew Wiggins took turns trying to put the cuffs on him.
Sacramento fans must have been worried by the halftime break. Their superstar couldn't get it going against pesky and proven playoff defenders.
The Golden State Warriors have been the NBA's best third-quarter team over the last few years. If the Kings can't hold their ground, they could be on their heels starting the second half.
De'Aaron Fox, however, proved he was up to the task. More than just the total output, it was when he scored them that gave the adoring fans the win they were all craving.
The cat-quick point guard dropped 29 points in the second half to tow the Sacramento Kings to a wild 126-123 victory.
The Sacramento Kings versus Golden State Warriors series was off to a highly-entertaining start
The LA Clippers, LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors were supposedly maximizing their efforts to grab the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Most fans believed the trio wanted to avoid the fifth spot and a date with the loaded Phoenix Suns.
The sixth seed was scheduled to take on the third-placed Sacramento Kings, who are the most inexperienced team in the playoffs.
On Saturday night, the Kings proved, at least in Game 1, that the postseason lights were not too bright for them. They stood toe-to-toe with the most experienced playoff team and gutted out a pulsating back-and-forth.
The Sacramento Kings passed their first big test against the defending NBA champs when they were able to win Game 1 in a nip-and-tuck battle. There will still be plenty of challenges ahead, and Sacramento knows that. No one has been more resilient and dominating in the playoffs in the last eight years than the Warriors.
The series promises to be a slam-bang all-out war that some may not have expected.
You may also like to read: Story behind 'Light the Beam' slogan of Sacramento Kings that has become a winning cry: All you need to know
