The much-talked about, closely-watched, and drama-filled first-round series between California neighbours Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors is going to go seven games.

Before anything else, let’s quickly summarize how the series has gone: the Kings fed off the raucous Sacramento crowd and captured the first two home games to go up 2-0. The Warriors then flexed their championship experience by winning three in a row, including one on the road, to take the series lead, 3-2, and have a chance to end it in San Francisco for Game 6.

The Kings then said “Nah.” Most were expecting a tired team, but they were patient, defended well, and made timely plays. They won, 118-99, to even it up at 3-3 and set a stage for a Game 7.

Sactown’s defense held the Splash Brothers – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson – to a combined 17-for-41 shooting (7/21 from three). While it wasn’t particularly ugly, it proved to be enough to contain the monster. Thompson and Curry finished as -16 and -28, respectively.

Further, the Dubs’ third and fourth scorers, Jordan Poole (7 pts, 2/11 FGs) and Andrew Wiggins (13 pts, 5/13 FGs), were quiet as well, especially the former.

As it was all season long, it’s unflappable All-Star De’Aaron Fox that led Sacramento’s charge. The 25-year-old was coming off a rough Game 5 that saw him go just 9-for-25 from the field, but because he has a short memory, he kept blasting on Saturday. He finished with a double-double of 26 points and 11 assists on 10-for-18 shooting, with his steady energy also being a key.

Adding to the list of positives is the secondary weapons also showing up nicely – Keegan Murray, who was on the floor for a whopping 45 minutes, was one of them. Though the rookie starter was only 5-for-17, he made up for it by grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds, five of which were on the offensive end. It was a good step up, given how much they’ve been pounded by the Warriors in the series. Besides, his 15 points and four threes were also nice.

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The second unit didn’t exactly shine as a whole, but they had two really solid contributors for the game, and those alone became a major lift. Sparkplug Malik Monk came off the bench by chipping in a full line of 28 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks – much like Fox, he’s an absolute energizer whenever he’s on the court. 

Lyles, meanwhile, tallied 12 points, nine rebounds, and a pair of steals – a good jump considering he was just averaging 3.0 points and 4.5 in the three prior games. It also helped fill a void as their other All-Star, Domantas Sabonis, was quiet on offense and only posted seven points on 3-for-15 shooting.

Lastly, there was the huge amount of threes. The Kings kept bombing from downtown, and eventually went 17-for-45, the most treys they made in single game in this series. They were +7 in that department as the Warriors were 10-for-32.

A good chance in Game 7

The Kings have a good chance in Game 7 as it will be on their home turf, but you can bet no one’s really favouring anyone, not after the disappointing Game 5 and Game 6 by the home team. 

Let’s just hope for a great finale, one that isn’t a blowout and would cap this awesome series.

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