The Kings won a crucial Game 6 against the Warriors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, forcing a Game 7 that will be played in Sacramento.

The Kings had started the series strong, winning the first two games, but then lost three in a row to find themselves in a do-or-die situation. Meanwhile, the defending NBA champions, had led the series 3-2 coming into Game 6.

The Kings dominated the game, winning 118-99, with a strong performance from their bench. Malik Monk had a game-high 28 points and 7 rebounds, while De’Aaron Fox added 26 points and 11 assists. Rookie Keegan Murray also had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Warriors were led by Steph Curry’s 29 points and Klay Thompson’s 22 points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Kings’ balanced attack.

The game was closely contested in the first quarter, with the Warriors leading 25-23, but the Kings took over in the second quarter, outscoring the Warriors 35-26. They maintained their lead throughout the rest of the game.

“That was just a good win by our guys,” Kings head coach Mike Brown said. “They did fantastic. We’ve been talking about playing with pace not just in the full court, but in the half court as well. We’ve been talking about being physical as best we can without fouling on both sides, not jus defensively but even offensively. Setting screens to get your teammates open, trying to play through contact because you’re not going to call a lot of fouls and stuff like that.

“I applaud our guys for continuing to try to play with pace and physicality. The big thing that’s hurt us in the past is the second chance points. Our guys did a great job of trying to put bodies. They had 8 second chance points to our 18.

“Our pace, we got to keep running. And tonight I though we got out in transition and we got to our spots and we sprayed the ball. It’s no secret what we’re trying to do, we’re trying to touch the paint and spray the ball and we want them to continue to do what good teams do if somebody’s about to get beat, you got to come help.

“We got to have the discipline to try make sure that we stay spaced and we find an open guy. Because they’re really good at going vertical at the rim and especially brining another guy over. If we can up 50 threes, great. That’s what we’re trying to do. But we want to spray threes.”

The series has been a rollercoaster ride for both teams, with momentum swinging back and forth. Game 7 promises to be a thrilling matchup, with the Kings hoping to make the most of their home-court advantage and the Warriors looking to defend their championship title.