The Sacramento Kings defeated the Golden State Warriors 126-123 in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on Saturday, to begin the series 1-0.

Having ended their record 16-year-long playoff drought this year, the Kings are well-motivated to prove that they are worth the No. 3 position in the West. They overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the reigning champions Warriors at home thanks to the impressive performances of De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk.

Fox turned on his scoring mode from the third quarter during which he shot 5-for-9 from the field to get 14 points. Then he added another 15 points in the fourth period. His athleticism and shooting ability make him a big headache for the Warriors. Neither Donte DiVincenzo nor Gary Payton II can stop him without help from interior teammates. Fox's four made jumpers out of seven attempts in the middle range is the best proof for that.

However, when the defenders tried to contain his penetration by going behind the screens, Fox made them pay by going 3-for-3 from downtown in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Monk again kept charging the Warriors' paint as coach Mike Brown requested: "go quick." Though Monk didn't repeat his efficient field goal (FG) shooting performance of making five of six of the second period, he went to the free throw line eight times and made all eight shots there to score 13 points in this quarter alone.

The efforts of other Kings are not to be underestimated. For example, Trey Lyles drained four triples to extend their furious firepower off the bench; Harrison Barnes and Domantas Sabonis grabbed nine offensive rebounds collectively; Sabonis though remained cold from the field (5-for-17) during most of his time on the court, he distracted a lot of the Warriors' defensive attention, making it easier for his teammates to work offensively.

Despite the loss, the Warriors have no reasons to panic yet since it was such a close game on Saturday night. Andrew Wiggins came back after missing the games for two months and he seems to be in a good form on most fronts with 17 points and four blocks. The team would be happier if he had made more than one of his eight 3-point attempts. Draymond Green did well in both orchestrating with 11 assists and guarding Sabonis by joining hands with Kevon Looney.

Nonetheless, the Warriors also have lessons to win from Saturday's loss. For example, it's understandable that they didn't contain Fox and Sabonis simultaneously, but it is unacceptable to allow Monk to dominate the floor off the bench. As the three best perimeter defenders of the team, Wiggins, DiVincenzo and Payton II should have clearer defensive tasks individually in guarding Fox and Monk.

Stephen Curry went 11-for-20 from the field to drop 30 points for the Warriors in Saturday's game. 14 of his shots were at the 3-point line and at least half of them were catch and shoot. It's part of the team's system to have Curry play without the ball, but it should also be noticed that when he attacked off the dribble, Curry shot a better FG rate, especially when he charged the rim.

Jordan Poole made the third lesson for the Warriors on Saturday. He shot 4-for-10 from the field, made two triples and seven free throws to get 17 points. Such a performance seemed okay, but not so much compared with what Monk did. His team didn't and shouldn't count on him to contain Monk, but Poole must match Monk, if not outperform him, in offensive production to be worth his time on the court.

Game 2 will happen at the Golden 1 Center again on Sunday.

Other games on Saturday (away teams come first):

Brooklyn Nets 101-121 Philadelphia 76ers

It's not surprising at all that the 76ers began the series with a big 20-point win at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Like we mentioned in the preview, the Nets must choose between James Harden and Joel Embiid in invest most of their defensive efforts. Their choice in Game 1 was Embiid, who would be double- or even triple-teamed immediately after receiving the ball even at the 3-point line. As a result, Embiid only took 15 shots and made seven of them to score 26 points,

Such over-concentration on Embiid by the opponents set Harden free to drop a double-double of 23 points and 13 assists. He only made one shot in the paint, but drained seven triples. More importantly, his distributions of the ball enabled Tobias Harris, Paul Reed and Georgie Niang to make 17 of their 25 FGs. The 76ers made 21 shots from deep in Saturday's game, setting a new franchise record for the playoffs.

Mikal Bridges was one of the few highlights for the Nets in the loss. He made 12 of his 18 FG attempts to drop a court-high 30 points. Eight of the 10 jumpers he made were in the middle range, which hit the 76ers in their defensive weak leak because Embiid couldn't close out on every occasion when Bridges launched offense from the outside.

Game 2 will take place at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17.

Atlanta Hawks 99-112 Boston Celtics

The Celtics' biggest lead at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday, was 32 points. It could have grown even bigger if Jayson Tatum hadn't shot as poorly as 1-for-8 from the field in the second half. Despite that, he, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White still combined to score 78 points, 28 rebounds and 12 assists for the Celtics.

The Hawks' back-court duo, Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, were both frozen by the Celtics as they were limited to 15-for-43 from the field and 1-for-11 from downtown collectively. None of their teammates managed to stand out. Their only highlight was the 13 steals they got, but they only translated into 17 fast break points.

Game 2 will happen at the TD Garden on April 18.

New York Knicks 101-97 Cleveland Cavaliers

Julius Randle managed to return in time for the Knicks. He had a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds, but missed 13 of his 20 FGs in front of the Cavaliers' regular season's No. 1 defense. Jalen Brunson did better than him after going 10-for-20 within the 3-point line, but the biggest heroes for the Knicks at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, were their bench unit.

Josh Hart, Obi Toppin, Isaiah Hartenstein and Immanuel Quickley outscored their Cavaliers counterpart 37-14. Hart matched Randle in team-high rebounds (10) and Mitchell Robinson on the offensive glass (5). Three of the Cavaliers' starters, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen played more than 42 minutes in Saturday's game with good performances, but as long as they took a break, the Knicks' backups would quickly turn the competition to their favor.

Mitchell took as many as 30 shots for the Cavaliers at home on Saturday night to drop 38 points and eight rebounds. He shot (16) and made (6) more 3-pointers than the rest of the team. However, his efforts were not enough for the team to win when they were shut out of the paint and outplayed in rebounds by the Knicks.

Game 2 will take place at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on April 18.