Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green in the first half at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Mon Apr 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

Kings Take Game Two 114-106-Leads Series 2-0

By Barbara Mason

Monday night the Golden State Warriors (44-39) took on the Sacramento Kings (49-34) in game two of their playoff series at Golden One Center. Monday night the Kings got hold of the lead in the stretch on the Warriors to take game 2 114-106 Despite the Warriors closing in on the Kings the Kings were able to pull away and Golden State were unable to finish the game.

The first quarter of this game looked a lot different than in game one. The Kings looked positively sloppy and trailed after the first 12 minutes 23-17.

Kings Head Coach Mike Brown called a time out at 6:38 in the first quarter and whatever adjustments he made the Kings began to slowly turn things around. Their offense picked up and Golden State began to get into deep foul trouble.

Sacramento really cleaned up the offense in the second quarter and outscored the Warriors 41-29. The Kings led at the half 58-52.

One of the biggest problems in the first half for both teams were the turnovers. The Warriors had 13 while the Kings were right behind them with 12. Protecting the ball would be critical for both teams in the second half.

The Kings found themselves in the bonus with over ten minutes left in the third quarter. The Warriors were in deep foul trouble with Kevon Looney’s five personal fouls and Draymond Green with four. The Warriors began to chip away at the Kings lead after Sacramento had led by 12 points. After three quarters the Kings led 83-75.

Going into the fourth quarter the Kings had an eight point lead that can evaporate in a heart beat. This is the playoffs and nothing comes easy. The stage was set for another wild finish.

The Warriors needed to protect the ball and watch those fouls. 11 minutes into the fourth quarter the Warriors had twenty turnovers and would finish the game with 22. The King only had two turnovers in the second half.

With 7:03 left in the game things got ugly. Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis collided and Sabonis grabbed his ankle. Green retaliated by stomping on his chest and received a flagrant two and was ejected.

With six minutes left on the clock the game was tied at 93. The Kings would take a nine point lead with 18 seconds left in this game. The Kings win by four points. They take a 2-0 series lead.

Stephen Curry had the high score for the Warriors with 28 points. De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis both finished with 24 points and off the bench Malik Monk had 18 points. Sabonis took a beating in this game getting stomped in the chest in the second half and getting a shot to the jaw in the first but he hung in there and celebrated a well-deserved win with his teammates.

The two teams now head to Chase Center in San Francisco for game three and the Kings will get a taste of the raucous fans in San Francisco where the Warriors are almost unbeatable. Tipoff is scheduled for Thursday at 7:00 PM.