Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

Kings' De'Aaron Fox, Keegan Murray Amaze NBA Fans in Play-In Win vs. Curry, Warriors

Timothy Rapp

The Sacramento Kings are still alive.

Led by huge performances from Keegan Murray (32 points, nine rebounds, 8-of-13 from three) and De'Aaron Fox (24 points, six assists), the Kings beat the Golden State Warriors 118-94 in Play-In Tournament action on Tuesday night.

The Kings will now face the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday. Golden State's season is over, and it ended with a whimper.

Stephen Curry put up 22 points but turned the ball over six times. His longtime running mate, Klay Thompson, had perhaps the worst game of his career, finishing 0-of-10 from the field without a single point. It was the rotten cherry on top of what has been a pretty tough season for Thompson, and all before he hits free agency this summer.

For the Warriors, it felt like the potential end of an era. For the Kings, however, the 2023-24 season still has at least one more story to tell.

And it was largely due to Murray and Fox, who were the toast of social media after the contest:

This was a complete team effort, with Domantas Sabonis offering a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double and all five starters scoring at least 15 points.

This was a pretty simple result to break down.

The Kings hit perimeter shots at an impressive clip (18-of-39 from deep, 46.2 percent); the Warriors did not (10-of-32 from three, 31.3 percent). The Kings took care of the ball (eight turnovers); the Warriors did not (16 turnovers).

And Sacramento's best players stepped up. Curry and Thompson did not, at least by the lofty standards they've set over the course of their careers.

Sacramento still has to get past New Orleans, and all that earns them is a tough first-round matchup with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. But hope remains alive in Sacramento, and if Murray and Fox keep playing like they did on Tuesday, the Kings will be a tough out.

   

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