De’Aaron Fox scored a game-high 38 points in his NBA postseason debut and teamed with Malik Monk for 28 fourth-quarter points as the Sacramento Kings edged the visiting Golden State Warriors 126-123 on Saturday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.
The game marked the Kings’ return to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
Monk capped a 32-point performance off the bench with two free throws with 2.9 seconds to go, and when Stephen Curry misfired on an open straight-away 3-pointer at the horn, the Kings celebrated a win in their first-ever playoff game against their Northern California rival.
Fox shot 13-for-27 from the field and added five assists and three steals, while Monk did much of his damage at the foul line, going 14-for-14 to complement an 8-for-13 night from the field.
Curry finished with 30 points and Klay Thompson 21 for the Warriors. Curry shot 6-for-14 on 3-pointers and Thompson 5-for-14, but Golden State was just 16-for-50 (32 percent) as a team.
76ers 121, Nets 101
Joel Embiid had 26 points, James Harden added 23 points and 13 assists and host Philadelphia made a franchise playoff-record 21 shots from 3-point territory in a Game 1 victory over Brooklyn.
The Sixers made 21 of 43 treys and eight different players dropped in at least one. Embiid made all 11 of his free-throw attempts and blocked two shots. It was Harden’s 31st career postseason double-double and he finished 7-for-13 on threes. Tobias Harris contributed 21 points for the Sixers, who will host Game 2 on Monday.
Mikal Bridges led the Nets with 30 points and Cameron Johnson added 18. The Nets shot 39 of 70 from the field (55.7 percent) and still lost largely because of 20 costly turnovers.
Celtics 112, Hawks 99
Two days after having five stitches removed from a finger on his shooting hand, Jaylen Brown recorded game highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds to lead Boston past visiting Atlanta in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Brown, an Atlanta native, missed Boston’s final two regular-season games after cutting himself while picking up a piece of glass in his home. Jayson Tatum added 25 points and 11 rebounds for the second-seeded Celtics, who received a 24-point performance from Derrick White.
Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 24 points and eight rebounds. Trae Young, Atlanta’s leading scorer during the regular season, finished with 16 points.
Knicks 101, Cavaliers 97
Jalen Brunson scored 21 points in the second half for visiting New York, which rebounded with a late surge to edge Cleveland in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
The Knicks were forced to rally back after squandering a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. Brunson finished with a team-high 27 points. Josh Hart (17 points, 10 rebounds) posted a double-double off the bench and scored the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:49 left for the fifth-seeded Knicks, who are in the playoffs for the second time in three years. Game 2 is Tuesday night in Cleveland.
Donovan Mitchell had 38 points and eight assists for the fourth-seeded Cavaliers, who are in the playoffs without LeBron James for the first time since 1998. Jarrett Allen (14 points, 14 rebounds) recorded a double-double while Darius Garland finished with 17 points.
–Field Level Media