The Sacramento Kings beat the Golden State Warriors 114-106 in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, on Monday, extending their lead to 2-0 in the series.

Usually, the side that lost the the previous competition have more lessons to learn, and, thus have bigger space to improve their game. For example, many suggested that the Warriors attack the paint more after losing 126-123 in Game 1 of the series. This piece of advice makes sense because the Kings, as one of the worst defensive teams during the regular season, are even more vulnerable in the interior than in the perimeter.

Nonetheless, the Kings apparently took this advice more seriously and executed it better than the Warriors in Monday's game. They shot 27-for-44 in the paint to score 54 points there, beating the opponents in both production and efficiency. Domantas Sabonis, who was limited to making only five of his 17 field goals (FGs) in the last game, went 8-for-12 in Game 2 to drop 24 points and nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass.

Sabonis was joined by De'Aaron Fox and Harrison Barnes in charging the Warriors rim again and again. Not only did the three combine to get 36 points in the paint for their side, they also hurt the opponents' big men heavily. Kevon Looney was called his fifth personal foul in the third quarter and played less than 23 minutes on Monday night. Draymond Green was ejected in the fourth period for trampling Sabonis' chest.

The Kings' bench unit continued to generate surprises as well. While Malik Monk kept cutting through the opponents' defensive line like a hot knife through butter, Davion Mitchell contributed 14 points by draining two triples. The two plus Alex Len outscored their Warriors counterpart 36-21 in Game 2.

The Warriors had no one but themselves to blame for Monday's loss. The team's obsession with their give-and-go offensive system cost them in the form of 20 turnovers. No matter how many times the Kings read and cut their ball movement, the reigning champions continued to pass over the fingertips of the defenders.

The Warriors replaced Donte DiVincenzo with Andrew Wiggins in the starting lineup, not only as an attempt to contain Fox, but also in order to have Wiggins shoulder more offensive duty with his size and athleticism advantage. Wiggins spared no efforts on defense and even switched up to the center position in the final minutes of the game. Offensively, he went 7-for-11 within the 3-point line, but missed six of his eight shots behind the arc.

Wiggins' cold shooting touch was shared by Stephen Curry who made only three of his 13 triples. Despite that, Curry didn't miss any chance for penetration. He shot 6-for-8 within the 3-point line, earned eight free throws and made seven of them to drop 28 points and six assists.

Klay Thompson and Gary Payton II were the only two Warriors shooting well from deep as the went 7-for-13 there collectively on Monday. However, Payton II is not a productive scorer; Thompson was forced to launch too many attacks off the dribble, which limited his role on offense.

It's unclear if the NBA will suspend Green for the flagrant foul he received in the fourth quarter in Monday's game. At that moment, Sabonis was down on the ground and grabbed Green's leg. When Green tried to get off, his right foot landed on Sabonis heavily. It took the Lithuanian several minutes to stand up. He received a technical foul for the leg-grabbing move while Green was thrown out of the competition.

The Warriors haven't trailed in the playoffs 2-0 since they did so against the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals in 2007. They lost that series 4-1 in the end. That was the also the beginning of the Kings' 16-year-long postseason absence.

Game 3 will happen at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Thursday.

Brooklyn Nets 84-96 Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers secured their second straight home win at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Monday, to lead 2-0 in the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs over the Nets.

The Nets followed their defensive tactics of trapping Joel Embiid at all costs when he received the ball in Game 2. As a result, the regular season scoring champion shot only 11 FGs and made six of them to get 20 points and 19 rebounds. He had seven assists, but committed eight turnovers as well.

James Harden failed to stand out and carry the 76ers like he did in Game 1 after going 3-for-13 from the field on Monday night. He got single digits in points, rebounds and assists with five turnovers. The four steals he had were his only highlight in this game.

The 76ers would have been upset by the Nets if it weren't for the solid offensive performances by Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey, who combined to score 53 points. Maxey drained six triples for the team; Harris made six of his nine attempts under the hoop while grabbing 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass.

On the Nets' side, Cameron Johnson took over from Mikal Bridges to provide the major firepower by going 5-for-11 at the 3-point line. He also completed a remarkable dunk on Embiid. The two plus Spencer Dinwiddie were the only three players to reach double-digit points for the Nets on Monday night.

Game 3 will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, on Thursday.