Light the beam… again! The Sacramento Kings surprisingly took a 2-0 lead over the defending NBA champion Warriors in Round 1 of the Playoff Series… after Draymond Green was ejected for tripping on Domantas Sabonis
- Sabonis grabbed Green’s leg before the Warriors man appeared to contain him
- The Kings star was having an X-ray of his ribs and lungs after Monday night’s win
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Domantas Sabonis was battered and bruised — but delighted — after being run over by Draymond Green in the Sacramento Kings’ 114-106 win over the NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs Monday night.
The Kings finished the game strong after Golden State fired Green for a flagrant foul and became the first team to go 2-0 in the Warriors series in the Steve Curry era.
After the game, Sabonis would have his ribs and lungs X-rayed to check for more damage after the nasty incident, but his 24 points and the Kings’ 2-0 series lead would go a long way in numbing the pain.
Elsewhere, De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points and made a solid three-pointer to help his team light the beam for the second time in as many days.
The Warriors will attempt a return to the series when they relocate less than 90 miles southwest of San Francisco for Game 3 on Thursday night.
The Sacramento Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors to take a 2-0 series lead
Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (10) congratulates guard Devon Mitchell (15)
Sabonis was seen grabbing Draymond Green’s leg as he attempted a running back on the court
The game’s big incident came in the fourth quarter when Green stomped on Sabonis’ chest with 7:03 to play while trying to escape from the big man’s grasp after the two were tied up while fighting for the rebound, resulting in an ejection for a flagrant foul. .
Despite clearly grabbing Green’s leg and holding onto his arms as Green tried to get back on the court to defend, Sabonis only received a regular foul and didn’t even receive a technical.
During the review, fans in Sacramento shouted insulting cheers at Green, who urged them to wave his hands, put a hand to his ear for louder cheers and stand on a stool.
The Warriors fought back to tie the game before the Kings went on a 17-8 run to run with it to the delight of the towel-waving crowd.
Fox’s 3-pointer made it 107-101 with 2:17 to play and the Kings were in control from there. Davon Mitchell put him up with another 3 that made it 112-103 with 1:18 remaining.
Sabonis added 24 points for Sacramento and Malik Monk scored 18 off the bench.
Curry led the Warriors with 28 points but made only 3 of 13 from 3-point range as Golden State struggled for offense. The Warriors committed 22 turnovers.
The success-hungry Sacramento crowd didn’t fail in the home opener when fans celebrated the franchise’s first playoff game after a record-breaking 16-season drought.
When he freed himself, Green stepped on Sabonis’ torso and lunged to continue moving
Sabonis remained on the floor in pain after a free stomp in the fourth quarter
The crowd started to get into it in the second quarter thanks to another bench spark from Monk, who scored 32 points in the opener.
Monk hit three three-pointers in the first 2:04 of the period to help fuel a 23-8 run that turned a six-point deficit into nine.
Golden State fought back and connected on a 3 by Curry before allowing the final six points of the quarter to trail 58-52 at the half.
The Kings built the lead to 14 points in the third quarter before the Warriors scored eight straight. Sacramento led 83-75, heading for fourth.
Before being called for a flagrant double digit and being sacked on fourth down, Green scored eight points
Stephen Curry led the way for points while Andrew Wiggins returned to the starting lineup
