Kings’ De’Aaron Fox tells world ‘I’m nice’ after beating Bulls with another game winner
Ask De’Aaron Fox about his confidence in late-game situations when he has the ball in his hands and he won’t hesitate.
“I think it’s through the roof,” he said late Wednesday inside the United Center.
There’s a similar lack of hesitation when you ask his Kings teammates.
“I’m not surprised, man,” Malik Monk said.
Added fellow guard Kevin Huerter: “Give him space. Let him to go to work. He’s done this all year for us.”
Fox hit his third game-winning shot of the season Wednesday, nailing a 26-foot 3-pointer from the left wing with 0.7 seconds remaining to give the Kings a 117-114 road victory over the Chicago Bulls. It gave the formerly hapless franchise its 41st victory, ensuring a .500 campaign for the first time since 2005-06, the same year it last made the playoffs.
“I have a whole group of guys and a coaching staff who believe in me,” Fox said. “They have confidence in me taking the last shot, so the least I can do is go out there and have confidence in myself.”
The Kings appeared to be headed toward a more comfortable win than the final score indicated. But Bulls star DeMar DeRozan, down four points, hit a 3-pointer while Harrison Barnes grazed his right arm with 12.1 seconds remaining. The referees called Barnes for a foul, sending DeRozan to the free-throw line to tie the game at 114.
That put the ball in Fox’s hands with a chance at another dramatic finish.
“Fox is the most clutch player out there,” Kings coach Mike Brown said.
Fox brought the ball up court and surveyed the floor. He thought the Bulls might trap him, so he rose up over Chicago defender Ayo Dosunmu. Fox hit the pull-up shot and turned around to his teammates with his palms in the air.
“I just said, ‘I’m nice,’” he said. “At the end of the day, I think throughout tight games my team trusts me to take any shot I take in the fourth quarter. Not just that shot, but even scoring leading up to that, they continue to have confidence in me.”
The first-time All-Star finished with 32 points, with 15 coming in the fourth quarter. His 25 games with at least 10 points in the final frame lead the NBA, as do his 180 clutch points. He added nine points in the clutch Wednesday, and continues to make his case to win the league’s inaugural Jerry West Award, which will be given to the NBA’s most clutch player.
All three of Fox’s game winners this season have come on the road. The first was against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 5. The second was against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 1.
“You ask anybody who’s ever asked me would I rather hit a game winner at home or hit one on the road? I’d much rather do it on the road,” he said. “I’d rather silence a crowd than kind of get hyped. But that’s just kind of the way I am as a person. Quiet, not loud, so I like doing it on the road.”
Brown admitted that he wasn’t sure about Fox’s play in the clutch when he first took the job. But his appreciation for his play when games are on the line has grown as the season has worn on.
“I knew he was fast,” Brown said. “I knew he had a lot of ability to do a lot of different things, but his presence, his calmness, demeanor, however you want to call, it’s just been fantastic down the stretch of games, especially one-possession games. So for him to walk into that 3, not to disrespect anybody, I just felt it was going in.”
The Kings overcame a 10-point deficit at halftime. Huerter said the team came out “flat” in the first half, which included turning the ball over 10 times. Brown said the team’s spacing wasn’t good, nor was his team’s transition defense.
But Sacramento responded at the start of the third quarter, going on a 14-2 run to open the frame and take back control of the game. The Kings outscored Chicago 37-22 while holding the home team to 7-of-24 (29%) shooting, while Malik Monk got going with three 3-pointers. Monk finished with 19 points. Huerter added 15 while making 4 of 7 attempts from distance.
DeRozan scored a game-high 33 points, but the Bulls were minus-11 in his 40 minutes on the floor. He came into the game second in the NBA in clutch points behind Fox. Eight of his points came on a pair of four-point plays in the fourth quarter, both coming with fouls on Barnes.
Meanwhile, Domantas Sabonis posted another triple-double with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists. It marked his 11th triple-double of the season and his fourth in five games.
“It’s like getting common place for him to have a triple-double after triple-double after triple-double,” Brown said. “I’ve said this before to you guys and whoever else will listen to me. I hope both those guys (Fox and Sabonis) get recognition for what they’re doing. ... Both those guys should be on an All-NBA team.”
The Kings win paired with the Memphis Grizzlies’ 138-119 loss to the Miami Heat puts Sacramento back in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference at 41-27. The teams have identical records, but the Kings own the tiebreaker by way of conference record.
Sacramento will visit the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday on the second night of a back-to-back. The Kings will then play their third game in four nights against the Washington Wizards on Saturday before wrapping up their four-game road trip Monday in Utah.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 10:34 PM.
