De’Aaron Fox made sure to produce down the stretch as the Kings could light the lamp in the first game of their series against the reigning champions.
The bright lights of the NBA playoffs required some time for De’Aaron Fox to acclimatize to them.
Yet for a player whose whole game depends on lightning-quick moves and pinpoint shotmaking, all he needed was 24 minutes to reestablish himself in the playoffs for the first time.
“I was interested in seeing how the game may change. “I want to see how physical the game truly is, how much you can get away with,” Sacramento Kings head coach John Fox remarked in the postgame press conference after his team clinched a 126-123 victory against the Golden State Warriors in Game 1. “I think Malik Monk did a heck of a job carrying us through that first half,” I said after the game. “I wouldn’t say [I was] stunned, but it took me time to get acclimated to it, and I think he did a hell of a job carrying us through the first half.”
The Kings and the Warriors put up a game worthy of the anticipation leading up to it from the first tip. The speed of play was quick, and there were many scoring opportunities. The reigning champs were playing at an opponent’s home arena, but they still managed to take a halftime lead of 61-55 despite being in an adverse environment. But, the brilliance of Monk, who came off the bench to drill 15 points, stood out. Fox scored nine points but was just 3 for nine from the field.
The Kings needed their captain to step up to the challenge as the game entered its last two quarters and became more competitive.
“And in the fourth quarter after the game… we spoke about this many times, my teammates trust me to go out there and create plays for myself and others,” De’Aaron Fox added. “Thus, the very least I could do would be to go out there and believe in myself.”
This season, De’Aaron Fox has been his team’s undisputed hero in crucial moments, and he came through for them once again. He ended the game with 38 points, including 29 points in the second half alone. It was the second-most points scored for a playoff debut, the most points being scored by Luka Doncic with 42.
Fox was in his comfort zone when the outcome of the game was on the line, thanks to the support of both his squad and the massive fans at home. He was the only player to play the whole fourth quarter and finished with 15 points, including three attempts from a distance. His offensive resumé was laid bare for everyone in the basketball community. He made seemingly difficult moves, such as fallaways, stepbacks, floaters, and unusual layups, seem simple. He even engaged in a scoring battle with Steph Curry in the game’s closing minutes.
“Fox will be doing this for us throughout the year,” Malik Monk stated. ” I knew he would step it up in the second half of the game. It took him some time to get used to the new environment, [but] that’s why we’re a team—we have other guys out there who can do what they do.
“He has been quite helpful to us over the whole year. He will keep on being wonderful for our company.
That was just the series’ first game, and a lot may still happen before it’s over. The Warriors have a far better chance of winning because of their Hall of Fame lineup and previous championship experience. The Kings, on the other hand, have a franchise guard who has shown that he is not afraid of big events, including the playoffs, and they can count on him.
“For now, we are going to savor this victory. It’s a lengthy run of episodes. “You never know how many games it may go,” Fox remarked. “You never know.” “But as for us, we’ll take this evening to relax, and then we’ll be ready to go to work bright and early tomorrow.”
Tuesday at 10:00 am is the rematch between the Warriors and the Kings (PHL time).
