If there were any concerns regarding how well De’Aaron Fox would play in the postseason, he put them to bed in spectacular fashion.
He tore apart the Golden State Warriors with 38 points in Game 1 of their first-round series to lead the Sacramento Kings to their first home playoff win in 16 years. Afterward, Fox lit the beam and sent the crowd into a frenzy.
THE PLAYOFF BEAM IS LIT 🟣 pic.twitter.com/NpzMVv1aBr
— ESPN (@espn) April 16, 2023
The arena was rocking all night and the players fed off of that energy to beat the defending champions 126-123. Fox had a slow start, scoring just 9 points in the first half but he scored 29 in the second and hit some big shots in the clutch, as he has been doing all season. His 38 points on his playoff debut are also second only to Luka Doncic, who had 42 points against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020.
The Kings and their fans will celebrate this win long into the night, but they’ll know the job is far from being finished. It took this incredible performance from Fox and a 32-point outing from Malik Monk to just about hold off Golden State and if Stephen Curry had connected on that three-pointer with time winding down, the game would have gone to overtime.
Domantas Sabonis Had Explained Why The Kings Have The Best Offense In The Clutch
As the teams traded blows in that thrilling fourth quarter, the Kings had to watch Curry and Klay Thompson hit some ridiculous contested three-pointers. Instead of being deflated, though, they just did what they have been doing in the clutch all season, as Domantas Sabonis put it, give the ball to Fox.
Fox is a finalist for Clutch Player of the Year, and he made big plays, both as a scorer and a playmaker, in the final minutes of the game. He scored or assisted on 13 points in the last five minutes, and the Warriors just could not slow him down. The Kings will need another big night from him if they are to go up 2-0 in this series.
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