De’Aaron Fox erupts for franchise-record 60 points in Kings’ NBA Cup loss to Timberwolves
A star is born every day, but superstars can only be created on nights like this.
De’Aaron Fox erupted for a franchise-record 60 points to bring his team back from a 20-point deficit against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Fox did all he could in a breathtaking performance, but the Kings came up short in a 130-126 overtime loss in an NBA Cup game Friday before a crowd of 16,478 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
“Man, our guys battled,” Kings coach Mike Brown said. “They fought. Plenty of opportunities to give up, especially being shorthanded ... but our guys found a way. And my man Foxy — Foxy showed up tonight.”
Fox left the crowd in awe, dribbling, driving, shooting and scoring with a dazzling array of the stop-and-go moves that have made him one of the most electric players in the game. He blew by his career high of 44 points, surpassed DeMarcus Cousins for the Sacramento-era scoring record and eclipsed Jack Twyman as the king of Kings, scoring more points than any player since the franchise was founded as the Rochester Seagrams in 1923.
“Huge performance — spectacular — against a very good defensive team with length,” Brown said. “It’s tough because a lot of people are going to talk about the 60 points, which they should, but it’s tough because we lost the game.”
Fox agreed.
“I would have loved to get this win, obviously,” Fox said. “I would have rather us get the rebound in the fourth and won the game there and not even gotten to 60, so of course I would rather have the win.”
Fox broke the Sacramento-era scoring record of 56, set by Cousins on Jan. 15, 2016, and the franchise record of 59, set by Twyman on Jan. 15, 1960.
Fox became the first player to score 60 points in the NBA this season. He is the fourth to score 50 or more, joining Paolo Banchero, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama.
“When he’s aggressive all the time, he’s extremely tough to stop,” Kings forward Keegan Murray said. “I think that was just a representation of him being aggressive the entire game, and that’s what he’s capable of.”
Fox, who came out of Kentucky as the No. 5 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, went 22 of 35 (.629) from the field, 6 of 10 (.600) from 3-point range and 10 of 11 (.909) at the free-throw line in the finest performance of his career. He scored nine points in the first quarter, 12 in the second, 13 in the third, 20 in the fourth and six in overtime. He also had three rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Anthony Edwards scored 36 points to lead the Timberwolves (7-6), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Julius Randle had 26 points. Naz Reid came off the bench to score 16.
Edwards said he enjoyed a memorable battle with Fox.
“Oh, it was fun for me, man,” Edwards said. “Guarding someone like that who can score the ball, super quick, and he didn’t shy away from it. He didn’t back down from me. He kept moving at me. That was super fun for me. I love that. I look forward to those days.”
Domantas Sabonis recorded his 12th consecutive double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds despite experiencing back cramps. Murray had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The Kings were missing six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan and sixth man extraordinaire Malik Monk. DeRozan was out with lower back tightness. Monk has a right ankle sprain.
Brown had to do something different with his starting lineup after DeRozan was ruled out, so he supersized it. Brown went big with 7-foot center Alex Len starting next to Sabonis. It was an interesting idea against a team with Minnesota’s size and length, but it didn’t work despite a historic performance from Fox.
“He’s an All-Star and the sky is the limit for him,” Brown said. “He knew we needed help. He put us on his back, and he almost carried us to the finish line, but he did everything in his power to get us there. It was a spectacular performance by him, but I will say this, he’s more than capable of getting to his spot and getting a good look every time down, no matter who’s defending him.
“When he wants to get to his spot ... there’s nobody who can stop him. He’s that good. He’s the fastest guy in the league. He’s strong. He’s long. He’s athletic. He’s got a really good feel and the sky is the limit for him. Hell of a game.”
Minnesota raced out to an early 23-13 lead while Sacramento struggled to find the right rhythm, ball movement and spacing with a new lineup. The Kings staged a 14-6 run to cut the deficit to two. They trailed 32-27 at the end of the first period.
The Timberwolves went up by 10 again on a 3-pointer by Edwards midway through the second quarter. They led by as many as 11 before carrying a 62-54 advantage into the halftime break.
Minnesota started the second half with a 12-0 run to open up a 20-point lead. The Timberwolves led 98-82 at the end of the third quarter, but the Kings came alive in the fourth.
Sacramento staged a 14-0 run to cut the deficit to four on a driving layup by Fox. Fox used an assortment of moves to score 14 points over a span of 6:32, fueling a 23-4 run that put the Kings up 105-102 with five minutes remaining.
The Kings led 113-109 following a basket by Sabonis with 2:07 to play. Edwards answered with a pair of three-point plays to put the Timberwolves up 115-113, but Fox tied the game on a short pullup jumper with 38.1 seconds remaining. The game went to overtime after Jaden McDaniels missed a corner 3 as time expired.
Fox hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 1:15 to play in overtime, but Randle and Edwards came up with big baskets in the final minute for Minnesota.
“De’Aaron Fox really took them up a couple levels,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley said. “He was unbelievable. Tough guy to stop, tough guy to guard, tough guy to stay in front of. He puts a lot of pressure when he is playing that way.”
NBA Cup
Friday’s contest was the first of four NBA Cup group stage games for the Kings. They will visit the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 22 and the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 29 before wrapping up West Group A play against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 3.
Eight teams will advance from group play into the knockout rounds. The final four will go on to the semifinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 14 with a chance to reach the championship game on Dec. 17.
West Group A standings
Trail Blazers 1-0
Rockets 1-0
Timberwolves 1-1
Kings 0-1
Clippers 0-1
Up next
The Kings will continue their four-game homestand when they play host to the Utah Jazz on Saturday at Golden 1 Center.
This is the fourth back-to-back of the season for Sacramento. The Kings are 1-2 on the second night of a back-to-back, including a 113-96 victory over the Jazz on Oct. 29 in Salt Lake City.
The Jazz (3-8) has won three of five after going 0-6 to start the season. John Collins scored 28 points to lead Utah to a 115-113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.
Jazz star Lauri Markkanen is questionable due to an eye contusion. Walker Kessler is out with hip bursitis.
Sacramento Kings schedule
Nov. 16 vs. Utah Jazz
Nov. 18 vs. Atlanta Hawks
Nov. 22 at Los Angeles Clippers
Nov. 24 vs. Brooklyn Nets
Nov. 25 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 11:03 PM.
