Kings Hold Off Warriors
The Sacramento Kings outscored the Golden State Warriors 41-29 in the second quarter to seize a lead they never relinquished, holding on for a 114-106 victory in Game 2 of their Western Conference First Round series. The Kings lead the series 2-0 as it shifts to San Francisco for Games 3 and 4.
De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis led the Kings in scoring with 24 points apiece. Fox also recorded game highs of nine assists and four steals, while Sabonis grabbed a game-high nine rebounds and shot 8-12 from the field.
Fox has scored a total of 62 points through his first two playoff games. No player in franchise history has scored more points in the first two playoff games of their career. The previous mark of 57 points was held by Oscar Robertson.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry scored a game-high 28 points in the loss. He also dished out a team-high six assists, but was held to just 3-13 shooting from 3-point range. Including the regular season, Curry has made multiple 3-pointers in 59 straight games, the longest such streak in NBA history.
Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson scored 21 points, shooting 7-13 from the field with five 3-pointers made. It’s the 48th time Curry and Thompson have each scored at least 20 points in the same playoff game, the seventh-most such games in NBA history by a duo and the most such games by a backcourt tandem.
The game got off to a sloppy start, as the teams combined for 18 turnovers in the first quarter (nine apiece). That’s the most combined turnovers in one quarter of a playoff game since the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons totaled 18 turnovers in the fourth quarter of their matchup on April 27, 2002.
Neither team shot well, particularly from long range. The Kings missed a franchise-record 29 3-pointers (9-38, 23.7%), while the Warriors misfired on 27 of their 3-point attempts (13-40, 32.5%). The Warriors have missed 61 3-pointers in the series, tied for the third-highest such total in NBA history by a team through the first two games of a playoff series.
Maxey Leads Sixers
Tyrese Maxey scored a game-high 33 points as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets 96-84 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The Sixers lead the series 2-0 as the teams head to Brooklyn for Games 3 and 4.
Maxey made 13 of his 23 shots from the field, including six of his 13 3-point attempts. It’s the second time Maxey has scored at least 30 points with five 3-pointers made in a playoff game. The only other player in franchise history to record multiple such games is Allen Iverson, also with two.
Sixers center Joel Embiid scored 20 points, shooting 6-11 from the field and hitting all eight of his free throws. Embiid also recorded game highs of 19 rebounds, seven assists (tied), and three blocks. Embiid is the first Sixer to record game highs (either outright or tied) in rebounds, assists, and blocks in a playoff game since the NBA began tracking blocks in 1973-74.
Teammate James Harden continued to struggle from the field, making just three of his 13 attempts. Harden has shot less than 45% from the field in each of his last eight playoff games, the longest such streak of his career.
The Nets’ Cameron Johnson scored a team-high 28 points in the loss, shooting 11-19 from the field with five 3-pointers made. It’s the first time Johnson has recorded a 20-point game in the postseason.
Nets guard Mikal Bridges scored 21 points, but shot just 6-15 from the field (including 2-8 from 3-point range). Bridges also contributed seven assists and five rebounds.
Five players were held scoreless despite playing double-digit minutes:
P.J. Tucker (22 minutes)
Jalen McDaniels (22)
Nic Claxton (21)
Georges Niang (13)
Joe Harris (13)
The last playoff game to feature at least five such players occurred on May 10, 1999, when the Atlanta Hawks beat the Detroit Pistons 89-69 in Game 2 of their First Round series.