Kings make another trade after De’Aaron Fox outguns Trae Young in win over Atlanta Hawks
De’Aaron Fox outgunned Trae Young in a battle between two of the NBA’s top young point guards, leading the Kings to a 110-108 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center.
Fox finished with 37 points on 13-of-20 shooting for the Kings (19-25), who have won four of their last five games. The fourth-year guard from Kentucky made 3 of 4 from 3-point range and 8 of 9 free throws.
Rookie Tyrese Haliburton had 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds for Sacramento, which opened a three-game homestand after returning from a six-game road trip. Richaun Holmes added 16 points and eight rebounds. Buddy Hield had 14 points.
After the game, the Kings agreed to a deal sending guard Cory Joseph and two second-round draft picks to the Detroit Pistons for guard Delon Wright, sources told The Sacramento Bee. The trade was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Wright, 28, is averaging 10.5 points, 5.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds this season. He will be paid $8.5 million next season in the final year of his contract.
Young had 29 points and nine assists for the Hawks (22-22), who have dropped back-to-back games after winning eight in a row. Young made just 11 of 24 field-goal attempts and 1 of 7 from 3-point range.
Clint Capela had a big game for the Hawks, finishing with 25 points and 17 rebounds. Former Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to score 20 points and then swapped jerseys with Hield at midcourt after the game.
Bogi’s back in town
Bogdanovic visited Sacramento for the first time since signing with the Hawks in November.
Bogdanovic started his NBA career in Sacramento, where he averaged 13.5 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds in three seasons with the Kings. He went to the Hawks as a restricted free agent after Kings general manager Monte McNair declined to match a four-year, $72 million offer sheet.
The Hawks have reportedly been shopping Bogdanovic in trade talks with reported interest from the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics. Bogdanovic missed extended time with an avulsion fracture in his right knee and has appeared in only 18 games, averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He is shooting career lows of 38.8% from the field and 32.7% from 3-point range.
Metu returns
Kings power forward Chimezie Metu returned to action after missing 17 games with a broken wrist. Metu checked in at the start of the second quarter and quickly made an impact, burying a midrange jumper, sinking a 3-pointer and throwing down a dunk to spark the second unit.
Metu was sidelined for five weeks after suffering a right wrist fracture on what coach Luke Walton called a “dangerous” play by Jonas Valanciunas in a 124-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Feb. 14.
Up next
The Kings will continue their homestand when they play host to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday at Golden 1 Center.
The Warriors (22-22) will be without two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who suffered a tailbone injury in last week’s win over the Houston Rockets. Andrew Wiggins scored 40 points in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies with Curry out of the lineup, but since then the Warriors have suffered back-to-back losses.
With Curry out, the Warriors will rely heavily on Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. for scoring. That’s if Oubre isn’t traded first. Wiggins is averaging 17.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Oubre averages 15.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.
Injury report
Hawks: OUT — Kris Dunn (ankle); Cam Reddish (Achilles).
Kings: OUT — Marvin Bagley III (hand); Jahmi’us Ramsey (hamstring).
Kings upcoming schedule
March 25 vs. Golden State Warriors, 7 p.m.
March 27 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m.
March 29 at San Antonio Spurs, 5:30 p.m.
March 31 at San Antonio Spurs, 5:30 p.m.
April 2 vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published March 24, 2021 at 10:25 PM.
