The performances by De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk will steal all the headlines in the Kings' 126-123 Game 1 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at Golden 1 Center. However, Sacramento's ability to make life difficult for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson played a major role in the outcome.
"It wasn't easy," Monk told NBC Sports California's Morgan Ragan on "Kings Postgame Live" moments after the game ended. "We didn't give them a lot of easy shots. We kept them off the free throw line and we limited Klay and Steph."
Curry went 11 of 20 from the field for 30 points, but the Warriors star had to fire up a high volume of shots to reach that number. Meanwhile, Thompson went 8 of 19 from the field for 21 points, so like Curry, the Splash Bro. needed a get off a lot of shots to rack up his point total.
The Kings contained the Splash Bros. on the defensive end, with Fox (38 points) and Monk (32 points) outperforming them on the offensive side. Domantas Sabonis, Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray combined for 20 points in Game 1, so Sacramento had to rely on the Kentucky products for the win.
Nonetheless, regardless of how Sacramento wins, the team only wants to get the victory and it doesn't matter the route they take.
NBA
"We don't care who night it is," Monk continued. "We all want the same thing. [Kevin Huerter] might go off. I might go off. Fox might go off. We just ourselves."
RELATED: Kings' De'Aaron Fox fulfills promise to Sacramento as NBA playoffs arrive
Sacramento will attempt to protect their home court again and go up two-games-to-none on Monday night at Golden 1 Center before the series shifts to the Bay Area for Games 3 and 4.