De’Aaron Fox scores 31 to help Kings hold off comeback from Minnesota Timberwolves
The Kings nearly let a 21-point second-half lead slip away Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but De’Aaron Fox wouldn’t let that happen.
Fox scored 31 points to lead the Kings to a 113-109 victory over the Timberwolves at Golden 1 Center. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 21 points and Buddy Hield had 16 for the Kings (19-31), who have won four of their last six games.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Timberwolves (15-34), who have lost 12 in a row. Shabazz Napier had 17 points and seven assists.
Fox came out aggressively to help Sacramento hit Minnesota with an early scoring barrage. He attacked the Timberwolves in a variety of ways, starting with driving layups and dunks before stepping out to the 3-point line. Fox scored 11 points over the first five minutes. His second 3-pointer of the game gave the Kings an 18-4 lead with 7:14 to play in the opening period.
The Timberwolves cut a 15-point deficit to six late in the first quarter, but the Kings reestablished a double-digit advantage in the second. They went up by 20 on a 3-pointer by Bogdan Bogdanovic with 1:12 to play in the half and led 65-50 at the break.
Sacramento led 87-66 following a driving dunk by Fox with 5:21 to play in the third. Minnesota staged a 14-2 run to get within nine going into the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves got within two on a 3-pointer by Towns with 6:06 remaining, but the Kings withstood the charge.
Dedmon rising
Dewayne Dedmon had four points, 12 rebounds, five blocked shots, three assists and two steals in what might have been his last game in a Kings uniform.
Dedmon requested a trade more than a month ago after signing a three-year, $40 million free-agent deal with the Kings in July. A league source recently told The Sacramento Bee the Kings would be open to the idea of reconciliation with Dedmon, but Dedmon has not indicated he shares those feelings.
The NBA trade deadline is at noon Thursday. The Kings won’t play again until they entertain the Miami Heat on Friday.
Dedmon lost his starting job four games into the season and later dropped out of the rotation completely, but he has played better after injuries to Richaun Holmes and Marvin Bagley III afforded him another opportunity. Over the previous 10 games, he averaged 6.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks with three double-doubles. He has 13 blocked shots in the past five games.
Buddy off the bench
Hield has been exceptionally good since Kings coach Luke Walton moved him into a backup role in late January.
In his first five games off the bench, Hield averaged 23.4 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 52.6 percent from the field and 49.1 percent from 3-point range. Those numbers are all up from his season marks of 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 42.6-percent shooting from the field and 37.6-percent shooting from beyond the arc.
“Buddy’s been great,” Walton said. “… He’s done a really nice job of embracing that and helping the team get better as somebody we can look for and that group can really lean on to provide a scoring punch.”
‘Happy birthday, Vlade’
Kings general manager Vlade Divac celebrated his 52nd birthday Monday. During a first-quarter timeout, longtime season-ticket holder Barbara Rust – better known as Sign Lady – held up a sign that read: “Happy birthday, Vlade.”
Divac, who was seated nearby, appreciated the thought. He reached over and gave Sign Lady a high-five.
Injury report
Timberwolves: OUT — Jake Layman (toe), Allen Crabbe (knee).
Kings: OUT — Richaun Holmes (shoulder), Marvin Bagley III (foot).
Kings upcoming schedule
Feb. 7 vs. Miami, 7 p.m.
Feb. 8 vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 at Milwaukee, 5 p.m.
Feb. 12 at Dallas, 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 20 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published February 3, 2020 at 9:36 PM.
