Ibrahim Oladamola
The Sacramento Kings defeated defending champions the Golden State Warriors 114-106 to take a two-game lead in the NBA Western Conference play-offs.
It is the first time the Warriors have suffered back-to-back play-off losses since the 2019 NBA Finals.
The game got heated when Warriors forward Draymond Green was ejected after stamping on the chest of Sabonis.
Kings beat Warriors in tight play-off opener
The pair became entangled under the Golden State basket, with Sabonis hitting the floor after a bump from Klay Thompson.
As Green attempted to run down the court, his foot landed on his opponent’s chest which resulted in a flagrant foul two and immediate ejection.
“I’ve got to land my foot somewhere,” Green said.
“I can only step so far when I’m pulling my leg away. It is what it is.”
Sabonis added: “We were both fighting for the rebound, we fell on each other, stuff happens, it’s basketball. We’ve got to move on to the next play.”
The seven-match series heads to San Francisco for game three on Thursday.
In Monday’s other play-off game, the Philadelphia 76ers took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference series by beating the Brooklyn Nets 96-84.
Trailing by 10 points in the second quarter, the Sixers overcame a slow start and outscored Brooklyn 24-14 in the third before wrapping up victory as Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Centre.
The series moves to Brooklyn with game three taking place on Thursday.
