De’Aaron Fox takes first steps toward superstardom in Kings’ playoff win over Warriors

De’Aaron Fox quietly emerged as an NBA star this season while leading the Kings to the third-best record in the Western Conference and their first playoff appearance since 2006.

The 25-year-old point guard took his first real steps toward superstardom Saturday night and there was nothing quiet about it.

Fox scored 38 points in his playoff debut to lead the Kings to a stunning 126-123 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series at Golden 1 Center. Fox was held to nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in the first half, but he scored 14 points in the third quarter and 15 in the fourth to outduel Golden State stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

“That’s what you need,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “You need guys to step up, especially you need your All-Stars to step up like Foxy did tonight. He was absolutely fantastic.”

Fox tied John Williamson (1979) for the second-most points scored in a player’s postseason debut, finishing four points shy of Luka Doncic’s record of 42. He went 10 of 18 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range in the second half to help the Kings overcome a six-point halftime deficit.

“In the fourth quarter and at the end of the game, my teammates are confident in me to make plays for myself and others, so the least I can do is go out there and believe in myself,” Fox said.

Sacramento reveled in its return to the playoffs after 16 consecutive losing seasons with a raucous environment inside and outside the building. When the buzzer sounded to signal the end, a sellout crowd of 18,253 called on Fox once more to “Light the Beam,” words that echoed into the night as fans spilled into the streets around the team’s downtown arena.

There was some speculation that Warriors fans might account for up to 30% of the crowd, but they didn’t even come close with 17,000-plus loudly and proudly cheering for the Kings.

“Truth be told, I actually thought it would be more Warriors fans here because, obviously, I’ve played them four times a year for the last six years and I’ve seen it,” Fox said. “But I think Sacramento showed out tonight. Trey (Lyles) walked by and he was like, ‘Yo, this is the loudest arena I’ve ever played in.’

“We know what this fanbase is about and what they want to do, and obviously we want to win for ourselves and for each other and for everybody in this organization, but doing this for the fans, just knowing the way they support this team through thick and thin — like, through really thin — I think it’s just a testament to the way they are and it was definitely a great atmosphere.”

Malik Monk came off the bench to score 32 points for the Kings, who will try to take control of the series when they play host to the Warriors in Game 2 on Monday. Monk made 8 of 13 from the field and 14 of 14 at the free-throw line. He broke a record held by Ben Gordon (2005) for most points scored off the bench in a player’s postseason debut. He also became the fourth player in franchise history to make 14 free throws without a miss, joining Bobby Wanzer (1952), Oscar Robertson (1965) and Peja Stojakovic (2001).

Lyles also had a big game off the bench, posting 16 points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. Domantas Sabonis was held to 5-of-17 shooting but recorded a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Curry scored 30 points for the Warriors. Thompson had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. Andrew Wiggins, playing his first game since Feb. 13, and Jordan Poole scored 17 points apiece off the bench.

The Warriors shot 47.8% from the field and tallied 31 assists, but this night belonged to Sacramento and a young point guard who has waited six years to grace the game’s biggest stage.

“(Fox) was great,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He made four 3s in the second half, and he’s one of those guys, if he’s going to shoot 3s like that, it’s going to be tough night.”

Wiggins agreed.

“He’s a hell of a player,” Wiggins said. “When you see the ball go in a couple of times, it gives you confidence. It gets your energy up. He got going in the second half, and once a player gets going, it’s kind of tough to stop.”

Brown was recently asked what Fox might look like in the playoffs given his fourth-quarter heroics throughout the season. At the time, Brown said he didn’t know because he had never seen Fox in a postseason setting.

Now he knows.

“His skillset is off the charts,” Brown said. “He can shoot 3s. He’s got a medium game. He can get to the rim. He can get out in transition. The things he does offensively, he’s so shifty and crafty. He hits difficult and tough shots. It’s really fun to watch.

“You need guys like that on your side because they know everything we’re throwing at them, so there’s no secrets. You’ve got to have guys on your team that can go make plays and Foxy went and made plays tonight. That’s just a testament to who he is. What a playoff debut. You can’t ask for much more than what he did tonight.”