It has been a long time coming, but the Sacramento Kings have done it. They won their first playoff game in 17 years, outlasting the defending champion Golden State Warriors in an explosive back-and-forth affair. But can the ascendant Kings repeat their impressive offensive performance in Game 1? Here we will take a look at a few predictions for how the Kings would build off their impressive 126-123 victory this past Saturday.

The Kings entered the 2023 NBA playoffs as inexplicable underdogs in their playoff series against the Warriors despite earning the three-seed in the Western Conference. It seems like fans (and bettors) still can't get over the Kings' 17-year long putridity, as many believe that the experienced Warriors core, led by Steph Curry, will emerge victorious in the end.

But in Game 1, De'Aaron Fox and company showed that they're here to stay — maybe for good. Despite receiving haymakers from Curry in the fourth quarter, it's Fox, the favorite to take home the inaugural NBA Clutch Player of the Year award, who stood tall, dropping 38 points to outgun the best shooter in league history.

But Fox did not lift the Kings to victory on his own. He had help, most notably in his college teammate Malik Monk, who dropped 32 points to step up as the Robin to Fox's Batman as Domantas Sabonis had troubles putting the ball through the hoop against the likes of Draymond Green and Kevon Looney.

The Warriors will definitely give it everything they have as they look to seize back homecourt advantage, a must for a team that went 11-30 on the road in the regular season. Thus, the Kings should be prepared to take on the best of what the Dubs can give.

Here are three bold predictions for Kings-Warriors Game 2.

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3. Keegan Murray earns a role in the clutch

The Kings may have drawn considerable flak for their decision to draft Keegan Murray with the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, but that decision has clearly paid off in spades for the Beam Team. Murray, after beginning the year in a bench role, seamlessly slotted in as the Kings' starting power forward, and he ended up setting the record for most threes made by a rookie in a single season.

But there are times where head coach Mike Brown's short leash on Murray is out for everyone to see. And in Game 1, that aforementioned short leash was in full display, as Brown did not hesitate to bench the 22-year old rookie for the final 18 and a half minutes in favor of Malik Monk or Davion Mitchell.

The Warriors ended up exposing the shortcomings in Murray's game. The Kings rookie does not have the most developed game off the bounce, and he struggles to make plays for others when he receives the ball or when defenders close down on his shooting airspace. Murray became near-invisible as a result, and he ended up playing in just 16 minutes.

But Mike Brown always rides the hot hand, and Keegan Murray, given how talented he is. won't find himself glued to the bench for the most crucial moments of Game 2. Brown may opt for another shot creating guard (most likely Monk) due to the Warriors' tendency to go small, but Murray will do his best to prove that he deserves more than just a token starting role in his first taste of the playoffs.

2. Davion Mitchell plays more minutes than Malik Monk

Speaking of bold predictions, this is certainly one that should raise a few eyebrows. Malik Monk is just coming off a 32-point game, and his partnership with De'Aaron Fox quickly became the stuff of Warriors fans' nightmares. As stated earlier, Mike Brown will definitely prefer to have another dangerous creator off the bounce should the game end up being close in the dying embers once more, so Monk, as one would think, will play a role similar to the one he played in Game 1.

However, Monk is as streaky of a performer as they come. There's a chance that Monk fails to make as much of an impact in Game 2 the way he did in Game 1, and if that's the case, Brown most definitely would not hesitate to go with another option.

And that option could very well be Davion Mitchell.

Mitchell is not the best offensive player, although he has been good for a few explosions here and there when needing to replace De'Aaron Fox in the starting lineup. But he is, without a doubt, the Kings' best perimeter defender. In the clutch against Steph Curry and company, the Kings would call upon Mitchell to take on that defensive challenge, especially if Monk doesn't shoot the lights out.

1. De'Aaron Fox does it again

As Domantas Sabonis said earlier this season, the Kings may be inexperienced, but they're never rattled in the clutch. And it's all thanks to the presence of De'Aaron Fox, who has been the best clutch performer all year for the surprising 48-win Kings team.

In Game 1, Fox put up 15 points in the fourth quarter (29 in the second half) to lead the way for the Kings as they traded blow for blow against the defending champions. And given how much the Warriors struggled to contain Fox during the second half of that game, the Kings' All-Star floor general should be more than able to replicate his heroic performance in his playoff debut.

It's likely that the Warriors throw early double teams to try and get the ball out of Fox's hands. But the Kings have a plethora of capable offensive players (characteristic for the team with the league-best offense) capable of making the Warriors pay in a 4-on-3 scenario, so that may not be a gambit that works out well for the Dubs.