Kings come back to stun Warriors, win NBA In-Season Tournament group
Malik Monk #0 of the Sacramento Kings makes a go-ahead basket over Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors late in the fourth quarter during the NBA In-Season Tournament game at Golden 1 Center on November 28, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images/AFP
SACRAMENTO, California — Malik Monk hit a fadeaway with 7 seconds left and the Sacramento Kings rallied late to beat the Golden State Warriors 124-123 on Tuesday night and advance to the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament.
The Kings won their group with a 4-0 record and will host New Orleans next week in the quarterfinals. Sacramento needed a win or a loss by 11 points or fewer but ended up with the victory thanks to a furious comeback fueled by two late turnovers by the Warriors.
Andrew Wiggins’ tip-in put Golden State up by five with 59 seconds left. But De’Aaron Fox hit a free throw and Monk hit a 3-pointer following a turnover by Stephen Curry.
MALIK MONK CALLED GAME.
KINGS WIN THE GAME AND WEST GROUP C 🏆 pic.twitter.com/GdQ0XW9iit
— NBA (@NBA) November 29, 2023
Draymond Green turned it over on the next possession, setting the stage for Monk’s go-ahead shot. The Warriors had no timeouts left and Curry missed a 3 at the buzzer to give Sacramento its first win in three tries against Golden State this season.
Fox led the way with 29 points, with Monk and Kevin Huerter adding 21 apiece.
Curry and Wiggins each scored 29 for the Warriors, who have lost eight of 10 games.
Golden State got Green back from a five-game suspension for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold and he was greeted by loud boos during introductions and whenever he touched the ball. He also got called for a technical foul for demonstratively arguing for a carry violation in the fourth quarter.
The technical riled up the crowd and sparked a 13-3 Sacramento run that turned a nine-point deficit into the Kings’ first lead since the first quarter.
Moses Moody helped turn the tide with back-to-back 3-pointers for Golden State before the Warriors collapsed down the stretch.
Even with Green’s return, Golden State wasn’t at full strength for long, with Chris Paul leaving in the first quarter with lower left leg soreness and Gary Payton II leaving in the third quarter with an injured right calf.
Paul’s absence didn’t have much impact early, as the Warriors used big first halves from Klay Thompson and Wiggins to build the lead to 24 points in the second quarter before Sacramento cut the deficit to 72-55 when Kevin Huerter hit a layup just before the first-half buzzer.
UP NEXT
Warriors: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night.
Kings: Host the Clippers on Wednesday night.
