The Sacramento Kings upset the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, ultimately forcing a Game 7 affair in their NBA playoffs clash. The Kings were trailing in the series heading into Game 6 at the Chase Center, a far from ideal scenario. They rose to the occasion though, earning a pivotal 118-99 victory on the road. Sacramento will now have an opportunity to clinch a series win at home in Game 7.

Let's take a look at how the Kings punked the Warriors to force Game 7.

De'Aaron Fox does his best Kobe Bryant impression

If there was one player who was known for playing through injuries, it was Kobe Bryant. De'Aaron Fox has been dealing with an injury over the past couple of games, but the young Kings' star has stepped up nonetheless.

After playing through a fractured index finger in Game 5, Fox turned in a strong effort in Game 6 for Sacramento. He recorded an impressive 26-point, 11-assist double-double, while also adding three steals and four rebounds. Fox shot 10-18 from the field and 2-5 from beyond the arc. Again, he did all of this while playing through injury.

Kings X-Factor: Malik Monk

As already discussed, De'Aaron Fox performed admirably in Game 6. Domantas Sabonis, however, struggled on the offensive end of the floor. The Kings big man went just 3-12 from the field, finishing with seven points. Sacramento had an X-Factor pick up Sabonis amid his difficult shooting night in Malik Monk though.

Monk led the Kings with 28 points off the bench. He shot 8-14 from the field, 3-6 from three-point land, and 9-10 from the free throw line. He was efficient without question, making every shot count. Monk did more than get the job done on offense as well, recording three blocks in a respectable defensive effort.

Without Monk's performance, there's a realistic chance that the Warriors may be headed to the second round of the playoffs right now. It will be interesting to see if he can play at a high level once again in Game 7.

Crash the glass!

Rebounds get overlooked far too often. You won't see highlights of players crashing the glass. Any basketball player knows just how important winning the rebound battle is. And that is where Domantas Sabonis, despite his off shooting performance, helped the Kings on Friday.

Sabonis finished the game with 11 rebounds, including an eye-opening nine offensive rebounds. Keegan Murray led the Kings with 12 rebounds.

Overall, Sacramento out-rebounded the Warriors 53-42. They also earned 18 offensive rebounds compared to just 11 for Golden State. The Kings' ability to earn second chances on offense played a big role in their 118-point outburst.

If Sacramento can win the rebound battle once again in Game 7, they will have a tremendous chance of moving on.

Kings' defense

The Kings are a strong offensive team, but have dealt with some question marks on defense at times throughout the 2022-23 season. Their effort on Friday is what sealed their victory though.

From a purely statistical standpoint, their defensive effort may be overlooked. They finished with just 10 steals and eight blocks, respectable numbers but nothing to write home about. However, Sacramento forced Golden State into inefficient shooting, something that is key against a Warriors team that relies on finding the bottom of the net from beyond the arc.

The Warriors finished the game with 31.3 percent shooting from deep, or 10-32. Stephen Curry went 5-12 from deep, while Klay Thompson finished just 2-9. No other Warriors player made more than one three-pointer.

Overall, Golden State also shot just 32-86 (37.2%) from the field. Perhaps it was just an off-night for Golden State, but the Kings' defense still played a significant role in their shooting woes.