The Sacramento Kings earned an impressive 118-94 first-round NBA Play-In Tournament victory over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. The Kings will now face the New Orleans Pelicans for the eighth and final spot in the NBA Playoffs. Sacramento played a great all-around game in their first play-in matchup, and their red-shot scoring and individual play will aid them well against New Orleans.
Sacramento knew they would have a dogfight against the Warriors. Golden State finished the regular season with the 10th spot in the Western Conference standings. However, Stephen Curry and his veteran teammates wanted to show that the Dubs still had a lot left. The Kings did not give them a chance though.
Curry, Golden State's superstar, finished the matchup with a modest team-high of 22 points. Meanwhile, Sacramento had standout performances from multiple players. Namely, the hot shooting display the Kings put on is noteworthy and is their first key to domination against the Pelicans.
1. The Kings have shooters everywhere
Sacramento's 118 points against the Warriors were highlighted by their impressive three-point shooting. The Kings shot 46.2% on threes compared to Golden State's uncharacteristic 31.3% mark. Mike Brown's squad got hot early and maintained their effort throughout the game.
The Kings had three standout shooters from Tuesday night's game. First, second-year forward Keegan Murry went 8 for 13 on deep-range shots and finished the night with a whopping 32 points. Murray is arguably Sacramento's most prized sharpshooter, and he is one of the biggest threats to the Pelicans in the next matchup.
Next, rookie guard Keon Ellis impressed by making three of his four long-range shots on Tuesday. He ended up with 15 points on the night. After averaging 5.4 points per game in the regular season, Ellis' display was a pleasant surprise. His three-point shooting was to be somewhat expected, given he shot a respectable 40.1% during the year, but no one could have predicted his 75% clip against the Warriors.
Finally, veteran forward Harrison Barnes also went three for four on threes in a 17-point performance. Barnes is the ultimate X factor, and Sacramento will continue to benefit from his leadership.
If the Kings can continue their blazing three-pointing shooting, the Pelicans will be in trouble. New Orleans will need to be locked in on defense to stop Sacramento's scoring barrage. This does not even take into account the stout interior production and all-around play from De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
2. Sacramento's stars will have the upper hand
The Kings have gotten stellar production from De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis all year.
Fox amassed a career-high 26.6 points along with 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds through 74 regular season games. In addition, he totaled 2.0 steals per contest, which led the NBA. He picked up where he left off by scoring 24 points, dishing six assists, and grabbing four rebounds in the win against Golden State.
Sabonis also had a career year during the regular season. The 27-year-old averaged 19.4 points, a league-leading 13.7 rebounds, and a career-high 8.2 rebounds per game. Moreover, he amassed the most triple-doubles in the NBA with 26. He nearly had another triple-double on Tuesday after totaling 16 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists against the Warriors.
Sabonis and Fox will be hungry to drive their team to success in Friday's final NBA Play-In Tournament matchup. Their play should give them an advantage over the undermanned Pelicans.
New Orleans could be without the services of star forward Zion Williamson. Williamson suffered a hamstring injury at the end of New Orleans' 110-109 first-round NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. This does not mean the Pelicans do not have weapons though.
CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram will look to be more assertive on offense to give New Orleans a boost. In addition, like Sacramento, the Pelicans could get a boost from their shooters. Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones could erupt from beyond the arc at any moment, given both shot 38% or better on threes during the season.
All in all, the Kings have a lot of momentum going into their pivotal Pelicans matchup. If they play the way they did against the Warriors, Sacramento will be on their way to the Western Conference's eighth-place playoff spot.
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