The Kings’ Malik Monk surprises the Warriors, but he didn’t surprise himself

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Malik Monk isn’t an All-Star. He isn’t even a Kings starter. But with six All-Stars and multiple Hall of Famers on the court Saturday, what was undeniably clear after he set an NBA record for scoring by a reserve in his postseason debut:

Monk is a bucket.

“I’ve been trying to score my whole life,” Monk said after his performance in the Kings’ 126-123 Game 1 win against the Golden State Warriors. “It’s just me learning the game more, knowing my spots and just not taking bad shots. De’Aaron (Fox) helps me with it.

“But yeah, man,” Monk said looking up, shaking his head matter-of-factly as he smiled and continued. “I’ve been like this.”

Monk and Fox went old school on the Warriors, taking it back to their days with the Kentucky Wildcats, where they combined to average 36.5 points per game together in 2016-17. On Saturday, the duo combined for 70 points on 21-of-40 shooting, with six 3-pointers and 22 made free throws.

And while Fox was great, Monk stole the show with his 32 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Kings lit the beam to start their first-round series against the Warriors. They don’t win it without Monk.

Malik Monk sank a game-high 1️⃣4️⃣ free throws en route to 32 points off the bench in the Kings Game 1 win over the Warriors 🔥 @kpgreatersac | pic.twitter.com/Lbs6yTlhLD

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 16, 2023

Golden State had a plan for Domantas Sabonis. It had multiple plans for Fox. But what the Warriors didn’t plan for in Game 1 was Monk. Well, they planned for him; they just didn’t expect him to turn into prime Jamal Crawford off the bench.

Instead of getting hot from 3-point range, Monk hurt the Warriors with his driving. He was 6-of-9 inside the arc and racked up 14 free throws. He was perfect from the line.

“We gotta stop Malik from getting downhill,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “He got downhill quite a bit and put a lot of pressure on our defense. We talked a lot about him as a 3-point shooter, and he got to the cup and he had some good finishes. He got to the free-throw line, knocked his free throws down, 14-of-14. So, obviously, we could do a much better job on him, and we will.”

With Sabonis struggling, totaling 12 points on 5-of-17 shooting, the Kings needed someone to step up. Monk not only sparked his team, carrying the Sacramento offense until Fox got going, but he gave the Golden 1 Center crowd something to go crazy about.

More importantly, he gave the Warriors something to think about for the rest of the series. The defending champions will definitely focus on Monk for Game 2 and beyond. Will that open things up for Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes, who combined for 25 points on 8-of-23 shooting Saturday? Will Monk continue to get the minutes of Keegan Murray, whose 16 minutes of action were his second fewest in a game this season?

“Obviously, Foxy and Malik were terrific for us,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “They both hit the record books for playoff debuts. Obviously, Malik coming off the bench and his point production for a playoff debut and Foxy obviously starting and him having a playoff debut — they were big for us especially when we couldn’t get a bucket during the game. And that’s what you need — you need guys to step up.”

The Kings desperately needed a second scorer to aid Fox in his masterclass. Monk stepped into that role with confidence, seemingly more comfortable in it than ever. He scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, keeping Golden State at bay after Sacramento took control of the game in the third quarter.

“That was my reason for coming here,” said Monk, who signed a two-year deal with the Kings this past offseason. “To change the culture with my homie, man. We knew we had a great chance. Soon as I came here, we just came together, we stayed together all year, we laugh, we have fun. I think that’s why we’re just out there together and never get down.”

“We all want to see each other succeed.”

🎙 Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox share their thoughts on having their NBA Playoff Debut together.@kpgreatersac | pic.twitter.com/ilThvCaqAp

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 16, 2023

Few plays stuck out more for Monk than what he did to close the third quarter. He came downhill, as Green mentioned, on a high screen-and-roll with roughly seven seconds remaining in the quarter. He finished with a left-handed step-through layup on Andrew Wiggins. Monk gave Sacramento a 91-90 lead heading into the fourth, looked at the Kings bench and flexed. But big plays for Monk down the stretch didn’t stop there.

MALIK MONK 😤

The Kings close the quarter on a 15-4 run to retake the lead headed into the fourth 👑 pic.twitter.com/yomswEWuWI

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) April 16, 2023

His first bucket of the fourth came on a 28-foot 3-point attempt, assisted by none other than Fox. Monk broke a tie at 94 to give Sacramento a slight 97-94 edge. He scored his final field goal of the night on Wiggins, as he exploded to the hoop with his left hand before switching to his right in midair for a finger roll.

Sprinkled throughout the fourth quarter were Monk’s aggressive drives leading to assists and free throws, as he made and attempted more than the entire Warriors team in the quarter, going 8-of-8.

Like Monk said, he’s been like this.

“It was fun, the environment was so great, the fans were great,” Monk said. “I can’t wait to play again on Monday.”

The Kings’ Malik Monk surprises the Warriors, but he didn’t surprise himself

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