Staying Alive: Kings force Game 7 behind huge nights from Monk, Fox

Apr 28, 2023, 7:47 PM | Updated: Apr 29, 2023, 9:40 am

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 28: Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings reacts after making a b...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

These Sacramento Kings just don’t quit.

Thanks to huge contributions from Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox, the Kings put a beatdown on the Golden State Warriors during Friday night’s Game 6 matchup at Chase Center, winning by a final of 118-99 to even this best-of-seven series at 3-3.

The series will now shift to a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday afternoon at Golden 1 Center in what is expected to be an incredible atmosphere in downtown Sacramento.

MONK REJECTION 🚫
2ND STRAIGHT MONK THREE 🔥

Kings lead by 11 in Q3 on ESPN. They look to force a Game 7. pic.twitter.com/7ET4lGw9lh

— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2023

After struggling through the first quarter, the Kings flipped a switch for the remainder of the game.

Sacramento brushed off 31 percent shooting and 23 percent from three during the first quarter to outscore Golden State 36-25 during the second quarter. The Kings entered the halftime break with a 58-51 lead behind solid play from Monk, Keegan Murray, and Trey Lyles, who head coach Mike Brown opted to run at the small-ball five in this game.

The shots began to fall for Sacramento in the second quarter, and they carried that success into the third while stretching its lead to 13 points. While it seemed the game was inching towards getting out of hand, the defending champions kept themselves within arms reach heading into the fourth.

Monk and Fox took turns knocking down big shots late, answering two-time MVP Stephen Curry’s late efforts as the Kings kept applying pressure late.

An inexperienced Kings team looked more poised than Golden State down the closing stretch, as the Warriors forced shots (38 percent from the field during the fourth) and turned the ball over five times during the final period.

Monk (17 points during the second half) and Fox (16 points during the second half) willed this Kings team to victory late, adding another big game performance to the former college teammates’ list of clutch performances.

No matter what the Warriors did in the fourth to try and make the game close, Monk or Fox would immediately answer and keep the lead out of reach.

Incredible maneuvering by Fox…

SAC leads on ESPN | GSW lead series 3-2#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel | Q3 pic.twitter.com/COU5d1sUOm

— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2023

Monk, who has been a force off the bench this series, finished the night with 28 points on eight-of-14 shooting (three-of-six from three-point range), seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks over 32 minutes.

“I’m just going to continue to attack. I don’t care if it goes in or not. I’m going to attack,” Monk said of his contributions in Game 6.

Fox looked much more comfortable as he learns to play with a fractured left index finger, as the Clutch Player of the Year winner scored 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting while handing out 11 assists and swiping three steals. The All-Star didn’t score during the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s Game 5 loss, but Fox added seven points to help close this one out.

“From start to finish, I think that this was probably the best game that we have played this year,” Fox said postgame. “Especially with our pace, I feel like we were in control for pretty much the whole game tonight.”

The key to beating the Warriors is surviving their inevitable runs, and Sacramento weathered each push with ease on Friday.

Golden State never led by more than two points during a night that saw the owner of the league’s second-highest-scoring offense (118.9 points per game) fail to cross the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season.

Home-court advantage has been a key for the Warriors this season, winning 33 of their 41 home games (third-best in the NBA)–but that didn’t matter this time.

This dynasty that has won four championships over the past eight years had never lost a home game that allowed them to close the series until dropping Game 6 to the Kings at Chase Center.

"They've been doubting us all year … we're just here to prove everybody wrong." 🗣️

– Malik on the Kings' fight pic.twitter.com/VvY22ThdEr

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 29, 2023

The most significant difference in this game was Sacramento’s ability to attack the offensive glass, as they got past Kevon Looney’s imposing presence in the paint to finish the night with 18 offensive boards. Those rebounds led to 18-second chance points while the Kings out-rebounded Golden State 53-42 overall.

Another big takeaway from the win was Keegan Murray’s impact, as the rookie scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds while playing 45 minutes–a career-high.

Murray became the first Kings rookie to post 10+ points and grab 10+ rebounds in an NBA Playoff game since Larry Micheaux did so in 1984.

The stage is now set for a winner-take-all Game 7 at Golden 1 Center in what should be another hard-fought battle between these two Northern California heavyweights.

Do these Sacramento Kings feel pressure? If Friday’s Game 6 was any indication, this team will continue to bend–not break–with their backs against the wall.

“It’s no pressure for us, because nobody thought we would be here,” Malik Monk said when asked about his feelings towards Game 7.

Notes & Takeaways

Trey Lyles was effective in the small-ball-five role, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds while shooting five of ten from the field.

“We felt going small with the guards we have, they can get downhill, and we can play-make,” head coach Mike Brown said of his decision to insert Lyles into the backup five spot.

“Trey gave us that flexibility. For us, we do want to play as quickly as we can, we want to keep pushing the ball. That’s how we played all year. In order to beat teams in the playoffs, we need to play faster.”

Lyles and Terence Davis made significant contributions off the bench, with Davis securing Defensive Player of the Game honors due to his defensive efforts on Curry and Klay Thompson.

WELCOME BACK, KEVIN HUERTER‼️ pic.twitter.com/7ZVNd3bxHd

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) April 29, 2023

Kevin Huerter knocked down big shots late in Friday’s game, including a dagger three-pointer with five minutes left that put the Kings ahead by 16 points.

‘Red Velvet’ broke out of his shooting slump to knock down three of his eight attempts from beyond the arc while scoring 12 points over 29 minutes.

“He’s just got to keep shooting the ball,” Brown said of Huerter’s bounce-back game. “Making shots, you feel good about that. He’s continued to take them like he did tonight. Give him credit, because there’s a confidence level you have to have to be where he is, and he had it tonight.”

Domantas Sabonis fouled out during the fourth quarter, but the Kings were able to survive thanks to Lyles’ efforts. The All-Star pulled down 11 rebounds over 23 minutes of action.

Next Game

Game 7. It all comes down to this.

The winner of Sunday’s game between these two teams will advance to the Western Conference semifinals.

Be sure to get all of your Kings vs. Warriors coverage starting at 9:00 AM PST with Jason Ross before a 12:30 PM PST tip-off from Downtown Sacramento with the the G-Man, Gary Gerould, on the call.

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule

NBA Western Conference Playoffs – First Round