By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Winning 114-106 at home, the Sacramento Kings went 2-0 in the NBA Playoffs First Round best-of-five series against the Golden State Warriors mainly thanks to De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
The American guard had 24 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds, while the Lithuanian center went close to his umpteenth double-double with 24 points and 9 rebounds, adding 4 assists and shooting 8/12 both from the field and at the charity stripe. “His motor is unbelievable. His mental toughness is unbelievable. His physical toughness is unbelievable”, head coach Mike Brown said about the Lithuanian superstar.
The game changed with 7:03 to play in the fourth quarter when Draymond Green stomped on the Lithuanian superstar’s chest and was ejected for a flagrant foul. “It was a flagrant-2 for sure. It’ll be interesting to see what the NBA does after they review it”, Mike Brown added before saying that Sabonis was undergoing X-rays afterward to make sure there wasn’t damage to his ribs or lungs.
“It’s playoff basketball. Every time we step on the floor, we gonna give everything to our teammates and franchise. We both were fighting for a rebound. We fouled each other. This stuff happens. We gotta move on, and stuff happens”, Domantas Sabonis commented on the accident.
“I think that brought us together. We huddled up and were like, “We have to win this game”. Everybody thought he’d be ejected. When that happens, usually that team comes together and goes on a run. But we were able to negate that”, De’Aaron Fox added about what happened between Green and Sabonis.
In the other game of the NBA Playoffs Night, Philadelphia went up 2-0 in the best-of-five series against the Brooklyn Nets with a monster performance by Joel Embiid.
The 29-year-old center, who got French citizenship, had 20 points, 19 rebounds, and 7 assists while shooting 8/8 at the line and 6/11 from the field. Tyrese Maxey added 33 points, while Tobias Harris had a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds.
On the losing side, Cameron Johnson scored 28 points with 5/11 from beyond the arc, and Miles Bridges added 21 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. Game 3 of the best-of-five series between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets on April 21 at 1:30 AM CET.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images