De’Aaron Fox Dazzles in Playoff Debut; Leads Kings Past Warriors in Game 1

• The Sacramento Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of their series
• De’Aaron Fox ignited the Kings’ rally in the second half
• The Warriors had an opportunity to take the lead in the closing seconds of the game

De’Aaron Fox took until his sixth NBA season to reach the playoff stage.

The Sacramento Kings star made sure he had a postseason debut to remember.

He scored 38 points on Saturday night to lead the Kings to a nerve-wracking 126-123 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series.

Fox did most of his damage in the third and fourth quarters, scoring 29 of his 38 points in the second half, per ESPN.

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The Kings needed Fox’s offensive outburst as the Warriors threatened to pull away in the third quarter.

Golden State built an 86-76 advantage with 3:07 left in the third quarter following a 3-pointer by Stephen Curry.

Other teams might have folded right then, but not the upstart Kings.

Kings' fightback stuns Warriors

Sacramento finished the third quarter strong, unleashing a 15-4 run to take a 91-90 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Trey Lyles fueled that rally, scoring 10 points during that late surge of the Kings.

The final quarter was a seesaw affair, with the Kings and Warriors trading leads several times.

Curry gave Golden State a 114-112 lead after draining a difficult corner three with 4:03 remaining in the contest.

The Kings answered right back with a 7-0 run to grab a 119-114 advantage with three minutes left.

Warriors' rally comes up short

The Warriors showed their playoff experience in the closing minutes as they nearly stole the win in Game 1.

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Steph Curry sliced the Warriors’ deficit to two points after burying a three with 1:19 left. After Fox split his free throws, Curry cut the Kings’ lead to one, scoring a layup with 47.2 seconds remaining.

A pair of Fox misses on the other end gave Golden State an opportunity to grab the lead in the closing seconds.

Unfortunately for the defending champions, Andrew Wiggins missed a wide-open 3-point attempt with 9.6 seconds remaining.

Malik Monk sank two free throws after being fouled on the other end to give Sacramento a three-point lead with 2.9 seconds left.

The Kings dodged a bullet in the dying seconds as Curry missed an open three as time expired.

Knicks steal home-court advantage

Sports Brief recently reported on the Knicks’ win over the Cavs in Game 1 of their series.

Jalen Brunson dazzled in his first playoff appearance as a Knick, scoring 21 of his 27 points in the second half.

That helped New York hold off Cleveland, with the Knicks recording a 101-97 victory.