Kings showcase road warrior reputation in dominant Game 6 win over Warriors

The team that won the most road games of any team in the conference (25) was far from perfect on Friday night. All-Star Domantas Sabonis scored just seven points and was in foul trouble all night, and Harrison Barnes was ineffective and on the floor for only 15 minutes. However, it didn’t matter.

De’Aaron Fox was the equal of Golden State legend Stephen Curry for much of the game, as he posted 26 points and 11 assists, but he was assisted by a fantastic game from sixth man Malik Monk. The well-traveled veteran chipped in with a Kings-high 28 points off the bench and nailed several big threes in the third and fourth when Fox finally cooled off in the second half.

While Warriors superstars Curry and Klay Thompson both scored more than 20, the future Hall of Famer shot terribly as the team had its worst shooting performance of the season at the worst possible time. In the “road warriors” getting their first W away from Sacramento this postseason, they also handed the Warriors just their second playoff loss at Chase Center since it opened in 2019.

The Sacramento Kings showed they very well could be the offensive heir apparent to Golden State, as they shot better from three (38% to 31%) than the team with two of the greatest three-point shooters of all time, and when either team did miss, the Kings outrebounded their foes 53-42.

Along with the Warriors being unable to lean on their typical out-of-this-world three-point shooting, they did not deliver inside as they went from pummeling Sacramento in the paint with 60 points in Game 5 but managed only 36 in their own building on Friday night.

Adding insult to injury, Monk’s phenomenal performance looms large because, after getting 33 points from the bench in Game 5, the Golden State Warriors subs were absolutely crushed by the Kings’ bench 52-23 in Game 6. With Trey Lyles offering a surprise 12 as a brilliant replacement for a disappointing Alex Len by NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown in the second half.

Now, one of the worst road teams in the 2022-23 season must go into what will be a hostile environment looking to avoid shockingly being out in the first round after winning it all last season. It’s always hard to be against the Golden State Warriors, but the Sacramento Kings have all the momentum heading into what will be a must-see Game 7 on Sunday.