The Sacramento Kings had the most efficient offense in NBA history, scoring 118.6 points per 100 possessions in the regular season. That kind of efficiency didn’t carry over into the first half of Game 1 of their first round series with the Golden State Warriors, with the Kings scoring just 55 points on 54 first-half possessions. After they scored just two points on their first four possessions of the third quarter, the Kings were down 10 to the champs.

But then things turned around, and the Kings’ offense was as good as ever over the final 22 minutes of Game 1, scoring a clutch 65 points over their final 43 possessions of the game. With Stephen Curry missing a 3-pointer to tie at the buzzer, Sacramento celebrated its return to the playoffs with a 126-123 victory on Saturday.

Here’s a bit of film from a few key buckets.

1. No need for a screen

It was De’Aaron Fox (game-high 38 points) who got things started early in the third quarter, scoring 11 straight points to put the Kings back within striking distance. His first two buckets were a second-chance floater and a transition pull-up. Fox proceeded to run iso, twice attacking Donte DiVincenzo 1-on-1:

The Warriors’ best defenders in their (current) starting lineup are their two bigs, Draymond Green and Kevon Looney. So why involve them in the play if you don’t have to?

After that second iso on DiVincenzo, the Warriors called timeout and brought in Gary Payton II to guard Fox. So the Kings had Kevin Huerter (whom DiVincenzo was now guarding) set a screen for Fox. DiVincenzo didn’t want the switch, so he stayed attached to Huerter. That allowed Fox to get a step on Payton, and he drew a foul on Green.

2. Attack the weak spot

Late in the third quarter, the Kings went Poole hunting, with Davion Mitchell and Malik Monk setting screens for Fox to get his defender switched from Payton to Jordan Poole. Kevon Looney had to bring help, Klay Thompson slid down to help on Looney’s man, and Trey Lyles was open in the corner:

3. Go quick

One of the Kings’ biggest buckets of the night was another simple attack of a weaker defender. After Stephen Curry hit the most ridiculous shot ever, Malik Monk brought the ball up the floor and didn’t wait for a screen, quickly attacking Curry off the dribble and drawing help. The ball found its way to Fox for a wide-open 3-pointer that put the Kings back in the lead:

Playoff basketball can be very simple. Sometimes it’s best to go away from what the other team has been game-planning for all week, and just attack their weakest spot with your strongest weapons. That surely worked for the Kings in Game 1, and the Warriors will have to find an answer for Game 2 on Monday (10 ET, TNT).

John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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