Kings-Warriors playoff live updates: De’Aaron Fox scores 38 points in wild Game 1 victory

De’Aaron Fox scored 38 points in his first career playoff game to lead the Kings to a dramatic 126-123 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series Saturday at Golden 1 Center.

A sellout crowd of 18,253 gasped with anticipation and roared with excitement as the third-seeded Kings opened the series with a win over the sixth-seeded Warriors in their first playoff game since 2006. When it was over, Fox was called on one more time to light the beam, signaling victory for Sacramento.

Malik Monk came off the bench to score 32 points for Sacramento, which will host Game 2 on Monday. Trey Lyles was also a big contributor off the bench with 16 points and six rebounds. Domantas Sabonis had 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Stephen Curry scored 30 points to lead the defending NBA champion Warriors, who are seeking their fifth title in nine years. Klay Thompson had 21 points. Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole scored 17 points apiece.Third quarter: Kings 91, Warriors 90

The Kings outscored the Warriors 15-4 over the last 2:29 of the third quarter to carry a one-point lead into the fourth.

The Warriors extended their lead to 10 early in the second half. The Kings came back to cut the deficit to four on a basket by De’Aaron Fox, who scored 11 points in a span of 2:40.

The Kings were trailing by seven when Malik Monk came on to replace Fox with 4:25 to play in the third quarter. Monk immediately drew a foul and got to the line for two free throws, but the Kings found themselves down by 10 again when Curry made a 3-pointer off an offensive rebound following two missed free throws by Kevon Looney.

That’s when Trey Lyles stepped up to provide a huge spark for Sacramento, hitting two 3-pointers while scoring 10 points in a span of 1:56 to get the Kings within one. Monk then made a driving layup with 3.1 seconds remaining to put the Kings up 91-90, sending a record-setting sellout crowd of 18,253 into a frenzy.Halftime: Warriors 61, Kings 55

The Kings trailed at the halftime break despite a big first half from Malik Monk.

Monk came off the bench to lead all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 12 minutes. Monk made a 3-pointer and a driving layup to put Sacrament up 40-37 midway through the second quarter before the Warriors staged an 8-0 run to go ahead 45-40.

Alex Len, the big 7-footer who joined Sacramento’s rotation late in the season as the primary backup to All-Star center Domantas Sabonis, had a significant impact in the first half.

Len had four points and four rebounds in his first four minutes of action. His highlights included a big blocked shot against Draymond Green and an emphatic dunk that tied the game early in the second quarter.

Sabonis had 10 points and nine rebounds in the first half for the Kings, who shot just 39.2% from the field and made 4 of 16 (.250) from 3-point range. Monk and Sabonis were the only players who scored in double figures for Sacramento.

Jordan Poole led Golden State with 13 points. Andrew Wiggins, playing his first game since Feb. 13, had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson scored 10 points apiece.

First quarter: Kings 29, Warriors 29

All-Star center Domantas Sabonis had a big first quarter to help the Kings keep the game close despite some early shooting struggles.

Sabonis had eight points, seven rebounds and two assists in the opening period. De’Aaron Fox scored six points, including two free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining to tie the game.

The Kings went 10 of 29 (.345) from the field and 3 of 12 (.250) from 3-point range. They went 2 of 11 to start the game and missed their first eight 3-point attempts.

The Warriors shot 48% in the first quarter but made just 3 of 11 (.273) from beyond the arc.

‘Awesome’ environment

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his team won’t make the mistake of underestimating the Kings in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

During his pregame news conference, Kerr was asked if overconfidence was a concern given his team’s championship pedigree and Sacramento’s lack of playoff experience.

“No, I don’t think there’s any overconfidence, especially starting on the road,” Kerr said. “There’s no way you let your guard down in Game 1 of a series against a higher seed, against a team that we’ve seen four times that just won our division. There’s none of that. We’re not in a position to even do that, so the preparation has been with full attention on Sacramento and full respect, and they’ve earned that.”

Kerr was later asked about the atmosphere in Sacramento as 18,000-plus filed into Golden 1 Center and thousands more crowded into the Downtown Commons plaza for the first playoff game in Sacramento since 2006.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Kerr said. “I’m looking forward to it. This has always been an amazing fanbase. It’s always a great vibe. Even the last 16 years, coming in here when they haven’t had great teams, there’s still a love for basketball, a love for the Kings. There’s a vibe in the building that’s really fun, and given the circumstances now with the quality of their team and the season they just had, this place is going to be rowdy and it’s going to be fun.”

Crowd control

Kings fans showed up in force for Game 1 of the team’s first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

There was some speculation Warriors fans might account for up to 30% of the crowd, but it was clear during pregame warmups that Kings fans had them vastly outnumbered.

The crowd erupted with a raucous standing ovation when the Kings took the floor for pregame warmups and booed loudly when the Warriors came out.

Full strength

Both teams are essentially at full strength as the Kings prepare to face the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

Kings forward Harrison Barnes and Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins have been cleared to play. Barnes, who played all 82 games during the regular season, returned to practice Friday after twisting an ankle during Wednesday’s practice session.

Wiggins will be suiting up for the first time since Feb. 13 after missing the last 25 games of the regular season due to personal reasons. Wiggins is expected to come off the bench and play 20-25 minutes, according to The Athletic.

The only player listed on Sacramento’s injury report is veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova, who recently underwent surgery to repair a fractured right index finger. Dellavedova is an emergency point guard who appeared in 32 games this season.

Andre Iguodala and Ryan Rollins are out for the Warriors. Iguodala has appeared in only eight games this season as he recovers from left wrist surgery. Rollins has been out since January after undergoing right foot surgery.

Kings fans join outdoor watch party

The Sacramento Kings outdoor watch party space – known as Section 916 – opened at 4 p.m. The closed section of L Street allows fans to watch the game on three giant screens mounted on a nearby parking garage.

Fans will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis until capacity is reached.

Fans start to arrive at DoCo

Downtown Commons is alive with fans — for the Kings and the Warriors — about two hours before tip off.

Crowd advantage

The Vivid Seats Fan Forecast is projecting a 70/30 crowd split in favor of the Kings in Game 1 at Golden 1 Center. Fan Forecast uses an algorithm that explores its own proprietary data to project which team will win the crowd with more fans in attendance.

Vivid Seats said the Kings-Warriors series is the most hotly anticipated matchup in the first round with an average ticket price of $469. The next highest is $245 for the Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies series.

The average ticket price for Game 1 in the Kings-Warriors series is $597 followed by Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics ($254), Los Angeles Clippers-Phoenix Suns ($244), Lakers-Grizzlies ($218) and New York Knicks-Cleveland Cavaliers ($152).

Watch party

The Kings are holding a free Section 916 outdoor watch party for Game 1. Section 916, located on L Street between 5^th and 6^th streets, will feature three giant screens for fans to watch the game. Admission is free but fans are required to RSVP at Kings.com/playoffs.

Gates will open at 4 p.m. with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. Fans will be admitted on a first-come first-served basis until capacity is reached.

Warriors at Kings

When: 5:30 p.m.

Where: Golden 1 Center

TV: ABC/NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140

Odds: Kingss -1.0

Over/under: 237

Injury report

Warriors: OUT —Andre Iguodala (wrist); Ryan Rollins (foot).

Kings: OUT — Matthew Dellavedova (finger).

Upcoming schedule

April 15 vs. Golden State Warriors

April 17 vs. Golden State Warriors

April 20 at Golden State Warriors

April 23 at Golden State Warriors

* April 26 vs. Golden State Warriors

* April 28 at Golden State Warriors

* April 30 vs. Golden State Warriors

* If necessary