BBNBA: De'Aaron Fox leads Kings to close victory over Jazz
On a seemingly boring NBA slate, the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz put on an instant classic. De’Aaron Fox led all scorers with 37 points as the Kings won 117-115 on Tuesday night
The De’Aaron Fox show
The Sacramento Kings are the epitome of mediocrity in the NBA. It’s been a staggering 16 seasons since Sacramento has made a playoff appearance. However, after acquiring Domantas Sabonis a season ago, the Kings have found their mojo. The leader of the new and improved Kings is none other than De’Aaron Fox. “Swipa” has been the catalyst to an entire culture change surrounding Sacramento, and he showed it on Tuesday night.
If a stat line of 37 points, six assists, and three rebounds isn’t enough for you, then 22 points in the fourth should be. Fox had a relatively quiet first half, with Sabonis shouldering much of the scoring. However, as soon as the clock ticked to the fourth quarter, Fox came alive. In his first few seasons in the NBA, Fox relied on his finishing ability. This season, Swipa has been incredibly efficient from the two and three, with career-high percentages in both categories.
In the fourth, Fox was able to get anything he wanted from the Jazz defense. With much of his scoring coming from great mid-range jumpers and layups, the Jazz simply had no answer. After Lauri Markkanen led a Jazz comeback to bring the game to a tie, it was Fox time.
SWIPA TIME
With 10 seconds ticking down on the clock, the Jazz switched Lauri Markkanen (7’0) onto De’Aaron. Now, I am no NBA coach, but I could’ve told you that’s an awful idea. Fox blew by Lauri for a contested layup that put Sacramento ahead 117-115, leaving 0.4 seconds on the clock.
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CLUTCH.
The Jazz somehow got Markkanen open with no time left as he sunk a heave in a Christian Laettner-esque play. The shot was barely too late though — NO GOOD. Kings win, light the beam, hound Fox.
For all the stat nerds out there like myself, De’Aaron Fox is one of the best in the league in the fourth quarter. The former Wildcat leads the league in effective clutch field goal percentage (62.7%). Effective field goal percentage is one of the best indicators for player usage and consistency on a statistical level. For reference, the EFG% leader at the point guard position is Stephen Curry (the greatest PG of our generation) at 63%. However, Steph’s EFG% in the clutch throughout his career has been about 54.8%. With these numbers, it is clear to see that De’Aaron should be an NBA All-Star.
Other ‘Cats in the Matchup
It was a relatively quiet night for the rest of the Kentucky Kings as Malik Monk and Trey Lyles both went for two points. However, Jarred Vanderbilt continued his breakout season with 14 points with nine rebounds. Vanderbilt has carved out a starting role on the surprisingly okay Utah Jazz. He is showing all of the skill and talent that would have been shown in Lexington if it wasn’t for his injuries.
1/2/2023 Statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 117-115 W @ UTA | 37 | 15-22 (1-5) | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 38 | -6 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA) | 117-115 L vs. SAC | 14 | 7-12 (0-1) | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25 | +2 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 117-115 W @ UTA | 2 | 1-7 (0-3) | 1 | 4 | – | — | 2 | 15 | -6 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 117-115 W @ UTA | 2 | 1-3 (0-2) | 2 | – | — | 1 | 2 | 9 | -12 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 150-117 W vs. BOS | DNP- Illness | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00: Grizzlies @ Hornets (Richards, PJ Washington)
7:00: Suns (Booker)@ Cavaliers
7:00: Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander: questionable) @ Magic
7:00: Pacers (Jackson: questionable) @ 76ers (Maxey)
7:30: Spurs (Johnson) @ Knicks (Quickley, Randle)
7:30: (ESPN): Bucks @ Raptors
8:00: Nets @ Bulls
8:00: Trail Blazers (Sharpe) @ Timberwolves (Towns: out)
8:00: Rockets @ Pelicans
10:00: Pistons (Diallo, Knox, Noel) @ Warriors
10:00 (ESPN): Heat (Adebayo, Herro) @ Lakers (Davis: out, Gabriel)
10:00: Hawks @ Kings (Fox, Lyles, Monk)
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