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NBA playoffs: Kings bounce back to force Game 7 vs. Warriors

There will be a Game 7 between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors.

After losing three straight games in arguably the most compelling series of the first round, the Kings bounced back with a 118-99 win over the Warriors at the Chase Center in San Francisco. Game 7 is scheduled to be played Sunday in Sacramento.

The Kings built up a double-digit lead in the second quarter and never led by fewer than five for the rest of the game. Considering they were staring down an unceremonious exit on the road after jumping ahead 2-0 in the series, it was an impressive performance for a team with little playoff experience outside of Harrison Barnes, who owes that success to his current opponent.

Malik Monk led the way with 28 points on 8-of-14 shooting with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and some of the biggest plays of the game, like this sequence in the third quarter when the Warriors were threatening a run that would have looked all too familiar.

Also big were De'Aaron Fox with 26 points and 11 rebounds, while Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray combined for 14 offensive rebounds.

The feared Warriors run never came, and the Kings just kept extending their lead in the fourth quarter. It was Golden State's sloppiest offensive performance of the series, shooting 37.6% as a team with 19 turnovers. The Warriors also failed to take advantage of Sabonis spending nearly the entire game in foul trouble.

Sacramento Kings' Malik Monk (0) reacts after making a 3-point basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in San Francisco, Friday, April 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
The Kings stopped the bleeding. Now can the Warriors win on the road? (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Now they have to go into Sacramento and try to stave off their road demons in front of an undoubtedly raucous Sacramento crowd, just to advance past the first round. Since hiring Steve Kerr as head coach, the Warriors have never lost a series to a team in the West.

The Kings get their chance to change that on Sunday.