The first round of the NBA playoffs (best of seven) began on April 15, with the Sacramento Kings, the third seed in the Western Conference, beating last season’s champion Golden State Warriors, the sixth seed, 126-123, marking their first win in a playoff game in 17 years.
De’Aaron Fox scored 38 points and Malik Monk added 32 points off the bench to lead the team to a hard-fought victory.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 30 points, but missed a three-point shot on the final play to send the game into overtime.
The Boston Celtics, the second seed in the Eastern Conference, opened the season with a 112-99 win over the seventh-seeded Atlanta Hawks at home.
Jaylen Brown had 29 points and 12 rebounds, while Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 11 rebounds.
The third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers comfortably beat the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets 121-101 at home, led by leading scorer Joel Embiid with 26 points and assist leader James Harden with 23 points and 13 assists.
The fifth-seeded New York Knicks beat the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers 101-97 on the road. (c)AFP
Source: Japanese