After a long 16 years of agonizing patience, Sacramento Kings fans have once again tasted NBA Playoff action. Perhaps even sweeter, they’ve done so while attaining a huge win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors in Game 1 while playing host on their home court. The energy at Golden 1 Center was otherworldly electric, and Kings guard Malik Monk couldn’t help but show the fanbase serious love for their presence.
During an on-court, post-game interview, when asked how it feels to get their first playoff win at their home arena (opened in 2016) and in front of the Sacramento fans, with a smile the veteran guard acknowledged the loud cheers from the crowd and praised the club’s faithful followers for their continued support throughout the season.
“You hear this man? It’s crazy,” Malik Monk said in reference to the Kings’ roaring fans in attendance. “We’ve been hearing this all year. We’re just happy to be here in front of the fans. They’ve been waiting on this for 16 years.”
“You hear this man? [refers to Kings fans] It’s crazy. We’ve been hearing this all year. We’re just happy to be here in front of the fans. They’ve been waiting on this for 16 years.”
—Malik Monk, after the close 126-123 Game 1 win vs. the Warriors pic.twitter.com/i2RDNWVrgz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 16, 2023
As he has throughout his first season with the Kings, the second-unit extraordinaire played a major role in the team’s ultimate triumph over Golde State.
Logging 28 minutes of action, Monk would register a stellar 32 points (second-most scored on the night) while shooting a highly efficient 61.5% from the field and 50.0% from deep. He would also add 5 assists and 3 steals to his end-game stat line and finished with a team-high plus-minus rating of +10.
Ultimately, Sacramento would outscore the Warriors 126-123 while attaining their first 1-0 postseason series start since 2004.
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