Nba, playoffs, the Knicks conquer Cleveland, in Sacramento the first round against Golden State

Kings win first playoff game in 17 years, thanks largely to two captivating performances from Fox and Monk

Call them the basket twins. Or the great heroes of a historic evening for Sacramento. De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk teamed up to give the Kings their first playoff win in 17 years. All against a solid and experienced team like the Warriors, led by the usual Stephen Curry, someone who is unlikely to be bullied when it starts to get serious.

It was thanks to the two of them, in fact, if the Kings managed to impose themselves in the first clash with Golden State: if Fox finished with 38 points, Monk scored 32, managing not to miss even one free throw out of 14. The latter also scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, while Fox had 15 on the scoresheet. In short, the two worked to score 28 of Sacramento’s 35 points at the decisive moment. Something fundamental to lead the Kings to victory.

Curry’s 30 points were useless, as he also collected six rebounds. For the excellent shooter from Akron it was a bitter evening in which he found that Golden State still needs to make various improvements at the team level. The final 126-123 also indicates an important balance throughout the match.

In the other clash of the night, the Knicks impose themselves on the Cavaliers’ parquet, thus recording their first and only away victory so far. The New York team was almost always in command, preventing the home team from coming back in the final stages. The result of 97-101 thus rewards the excellent individual performance of the guard Jalen Brunson, author of 27 points, while the frustration of the always positive Donovan Mitchell, capable of scoring 38 points and collecting five rebounds, is enormous.