Above .500: Kings top LA Clippers with another fourth-quarter takeover from De’Aaron Fox
Another fourth-quarter takeover by De’Aaron Fox helped the Kings earn another impressive victory over a top Western Conference playoff contender.
Fox scored 12 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter, leading Sacramento to a 113-110 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday at Staples Center. Fox added seven assists and four rebounds with one turnover in 36 minutes for the Kings (12-11), who have won four in a row and seven of their last eight to move above .500.
“This is what he’s capable of,” Kings coach Luke Walton said. “This is what he as a player and as a worker has started to turn himself into. He gives the whole team a lot of confidence when he’s playing in this type of attack mode. I know he took over the fourth, but he did it all game, really, in my opinion. He was in attack mode all night and that’s when our team is at our best.”
Fox has averaged 13.2 points in the fourth quarter of the past five games, making 26 of 47 (.553) from the field, 7 of 16 (.438) from 3-point range and 9 of 10 (.900) free throws. Even Kawhi Leonard, one of the league’s elite defenders, could not stop Fox.
“Teams have different ways of scouting and playing, and obviously some players are better on defense than others, but you try to not to let that affect your game,” Fox said. “Obviously, Kawhi is, if not the best defender in the league, one of the best defenders ever, but you’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to make him stop you, and obviously he has the ability to do that to anyone, but you’ve just got to keep playing basketball.”
Buddy Hield had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Kings, who won the second game of a tough back-to-back after defeating the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in Sacramento. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last NBA team to win back-to-back games with 22 hours between tip-offs was the Miami Heat on Dec. 22-23, 2018. The Kings hadn’t done it since Feb. 22-23, 2014.
Rookie Tyrese Haliburton continued to impress, making 5 of 9 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range to finish with 13 points and six assists. Richaun Holmes had 12 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season and his third in the past four games.
Lou Williams came off the bench to score a team-high 23 points for the Clippers (17-8). Leonard, who is among the leading MVP candidates, had 20 points and 10 rebounds, but Walton credited Harrison Barnes for holding him to 9-of-21 shooting.
Los Angeles led by seven on a number of occasions in the second quarter, but the Kings outscored the Clippers 18-8 over the final six minutes to take a 54-51 halftime lead. The Kings held the Clippers to 37.7% shooting in the opening half. Leonard struggled to get going, making just 3 of 10 from the field in the first half.
The Kings went up by nine on a basket by Marvin Bagley III with 4:18 remaining in the third quarter, but the Clippers staged a 9-0 run to tie the game on a 3-pointer by Marcus Morris Sr. Los Angeles led 80-79 at the end of the third, but a bench unit featuring Haliburton with Cory Joseph, Kyle Guy, Glenn Robinson III and Hassan Whiteside helped the Kings reclaim the lead in the fourth.
“That was huge,” Walton said. “That was absolutely huge. Sometimes that’s what the responsibility of a second unit is. Even if it’s not gaining a lead, it’s just maintaining, and I thought they really did a nice job of playing together.”
Sacramento went up 87-82 following back-to-back 3-pointers by Haliburton. The Clippers came back to take a 97-95 lead on a 3-pointer by Williams, but that’s when Fox took over. First, he made a couple of free throws, then a couple of go-ahead 3-pointers, then a layup and then a putback. Then Fox blew by Leonard and dished to Holmes for a dunk to punctuate the win.
Buddy gets a bucket
Hield turned to the Sacramento bench and let out a howl when he finally got a 3-pointer to fall with 48 seconds to play in the first half.
Hield, the most prolific 3-point shooter in NBA history over his first four seasons, had missed 17 consecutive 3-point attempts going back to Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics. Hield went 0 of 9 from 3-point range in Saturday’s win over the Denver Nuggets, ending the longest active streak in the NBA after 87 consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer.
Despite the shooting struggles, Hield has found other ways to help his team win. He had 11 rebounds in the win over the Celtics, seven assists in the win over the Nuggets and seven first-half rebounds Sunday against the Clippers.
Injury absences
The Kings caught another top Western Conference contender shorthanded after the Clippers ruled out Paul George and Patrick Beverley.
George, a six-time All-Star from Fresno State, was held out due to bone edema in his toe. He is averaging 24.4 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 50.8% from the field and a career-high 47.8% from 3-point range.
Beverley, a three-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, was out with right knee soreness. He is averaging 8.1 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Up next
The Kings were flying back to Sacramento following Sunday’s game to open a five-game homestand against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday at Golden 1 Center.
The 76ers (17-7) are coming off a 124-108 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday. They have won five of their last six games, including a win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Center Joel Embiid has been virtually unstoppable, averaging 29.3 points and 10.7 rebounds to establish himself as an early candidate for MVP. He is shooting 39% from 3-point range, up significantly from 33.1% last season. He’s also shooting 85% on a league-high 11.3 free-throw attempts per game, well above his career average of 79.9%.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — DaQuan Jeffries (ankle); Jahmi’us Ramsey (G League); Robert Woodard II (G League).
Clippers: OUT — Paul George (toe); Patrick Beverley (knee).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 9 vs. Philadelphia 76ers, 7 p.m.
Feb. 12 vs. Orlando Magic, 7 p.m.
Feb. 14 vs. Memphis Grizzlies, 6 p.m.
Feb. 15 vs. Brooklyn Nets, 7 p.m.
Feb. 18 vs. Miami Heat, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 2:48 PM.
