The Kings–Warriors series keeps its promise. Hector missed his first playoff game, but a huge De'Aaron Fox (33 points) helped the Kings win the first game since 2006.
Hector was unusually clumsy that day. 12 points and 16 rebounds for him but for the first time this season, he finished a game with less than 50% success on goal on the court. Huerter also totally messed up too.
Fortunately, Monk scored 32 points off the bench. Ultimately, the Kings won an anthology Game 1 123-126. It was well worth waiting 17 years.
With his experience and the DNA of the champion, the Warriors led in the final moments of the third quarter. Stephen Curry was hot, Andrew Wiggins was coming back, Klay Thompson was sending missiles, and Draymond Green was doing Draymond Green on both ends.
But the Kings are the Kings. The most clutch player of the regular season, Fox proved in his first game on the big stage that he was confident in the event. Pull up, step back, caviar in transition for Hector.
The Kings regained the lead despite Stephen Curry's exploits putting the Dubs within just one point and had a winning shot via Andrew Wiggins opened in the corner. Abortive.
Lights the beam, baby.
After a missed first act for Hector, he set the record straight in Game 2 and allowed the break to be made. Under the blows and the pain, Hector outdid himself in the face of a physical duel worthy of the playoffs.
34 points, 11/15 FG, 12/12 on free throws. Hector's previous game was an anomaly in the season, and he remembered to dominate on both sides of the court with 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. The Mexican crushed Golden State's interiors.
At the end of the match, he spoke to the media: "I failed in Game 1, so I had to come back more aggressive. I needed to be more hungry. We won't have to do this kind of performance against the champions anymore. »
The Kings fill up in Sacramento and lead the series 2-0, but the most complicated part remains to be done. When an enemy is on the ground, you must know how to shoot him down before he recovers. This is the fundamental rule of the perfect sweep. But is it possible to sweep a legendary team with one of the best players of that era?
Not for the Kings. The illusion was beautiful, but the Warriors stopped laughing. Since the beginning, Stephen Curry has carried Golden State on his shoulders, which is still the case in the next three games. The Warriors will chain three wins, including Game 5 in Sacramento.
The Kings find themselves with their backs to the wall in Game 6. A win in San Francisco is imperative to hope for an anthology Game 7 in Sacramento. The Warriors were in a perfect position to close out the series and punch the ticket to the Western Conference semifinals.
But the opposite is going to happen. Next to their pumps and opposed to hyper-serious Kings, the defending champions went through Game 6. Sacramento cools the Chase Center. Go for a Game 7.
Since Game 1, Hector has been back on track and has had a string of suitable matches. In Game 6, he missed shots, but he is no longer a player whom his points should define. 7 points, 19 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks. The first five-by-five playoff of his career.
Fox and Monk took over offensively, with 26 points and 11 assists for Fox and 28 points and 7 rebounds for Monk, respectively.
Playing a knockout game in the champion's den is a huge challenge, even more so for a team like the Kings, who have their first playoff experience. But despite the predictions and the stakes, Sacramento repairs the winner, and the scenario of death is written: a Game 7 in Sacramento.
This Game 7 will be epic.