SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 38 points in his long-awaited playoff debut and the Sacramento Kings celebrated their return to the postseason after a record 16-year drought by beating the defending-champion Golden State Warriors 126-123. The first playoff meeting ever between the Northern California neighbors lived up to the hype and delighted the raucous crowd that had been waiting for a playoff game since 2006. The inexperienced Kings closed the game strong against a Warriors team that had won four titles in the previous eight seasons.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
CLEVELAND (AP) — Jalen Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 in the second half, and Julius Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 as the New York Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 in Game 1. Brunson was limited to nine minutes in the first half, but hit several big shots down the stretch as the Knicks turned back Cleveland’s late rally led by Donovan Mitchell. Randle was questionable up until pregame warmups, when he tested the left ankle he sprained two weeks ago. Mitchell finished with 38 for the Cavs, who returned to the playoff stage for the first time since the 2018 Finals. Josh Hart added 17 points off New York’s bench, which outscored Cleveland’s 37-14.
BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 29 points and had 12 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics capitalized on a woeful shooting performance by the Atlanta Hawks to hold on for 112-99 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round matchup. Jayson Tatum scored 25 points, 21 in the first half. Derrick White finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds for Boston, which hosts Game 2 on Tuesday. The No. 2-seeded Celtics led by as many as 32 points, pouncing on an Atlanta team that missed its first 10 3-point attempts and shot 5 of 29 from beyond the arc for the game. Dejounte Murray led the Hawks with 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Trae Young added 16 points.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — James Harden hit seven 3-pointers and had 23 points and 13 assists, NBA MVP finalist Joel Embiid scored 26 points and the Philadelphia 76ers pushed back Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets in a 121-101 Game 1 victory. Tobias Harris added 19 points and the 76ers hit 21 3s in the opener of this Eastern Conference playoff series. The Sixers are trying to win their first NBA championship since 1983 and advance past the second round for the first time since 2001. The No. 3-seeded 76ers host Game 2 on Monday. Bridges scored 30 points and helped the Nets at least hang around in the first half.
