BBNBA: De'Aaron Fox's 34 points not enough to beat Anthony Davis-less Lakers

On Saturday night, De’Aaron Fox continued his recent hot scoring stretch, but his Sacramento Kings couldn’t muster up enough help to down the surging Los Angeles Lakers. Fox poured in 34 points in the Kings’ 136-134 loss to the Lakers as Sacramento has now dropped three of its last four outings.

Following an up-down-start to the season, Fox has found a groove since mid-December. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 26.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists over his last 13 contests for the Kings, although the team has posted an average 6-7 record over that span. Sacramento is still firmly in the playoff hunt at 20-18 on the season — good enough for fifth in the Western Conference — but falling at home to a Lakers squad missing Anthony Davis is not ideal.

Fox tacked on nine assists, two rebounds, two blocks, and two steals to his 34 points, which he achieved by shooting 11-21 from the floor. The 25-year-old missed a potential game-winning halfcourt heave at the buzzer. He was helped out by 11 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes from Trey Lyles but missed the presence of sharpshooting Malik Monk, who was sidelined due to a calf injury.

While the Lakers have missed Davis’ talents on the floor, the franchise has still found ways to win without him. LeBron James dropped 37 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists while center Thomas Bryant had a breakout performance of 29 points and 14 rebounds. Former Wildcat Wenyen Gabriel, who recently had his contract guaranteed by the Lakers for the rest of the season, came off the bench to contribute six points and three rebounds on 3-5 shooting.

Los Angeles has now won five games in a row (all without Davis) and sits on a 19-21 record. With how tight the standings are in both conferences, it’ll only take another four- or five-game win streak for the Lakers to be right back in the thick of the playoff race. Davis is reportedly “progressing well” from a stress injury to his right foot that has kept him out since mid-Dec, although there is still no timetable for a potential return.

Other BBNBA notes

• Outside of the Lakers-Kings matchup, there wasn’t much else on the BBNBA front from Saturday’s games. The only other one-time ‘Cat in action was Utah Jazz forward Jarred Vanderbilt, who had himself an excellent night in just 25 minutes of play. Vando chipped in 15 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists for the Jazz in a 126-118 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
• Meanwhile, Keldon Johnson was sidelined in the San Antonio Spurs’ 121-116 loss to the Boston Celtics as he deals with a hamstring issue. He suffered the injury during Friday’s win over the Detroit Pistons which forced him to miss the entire second half of that game.

1/7/23 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	134-136 L vs. LAL	34	11-21 (0-2)	2	9	2	2	3	-2	38
Jarred Vanderbilt (UTA)	118-126 L @ CHI	15	6-13 (0-2)	14	3	1	0	1	-2	25
Trey Lyles (SAC)	134-136 L vs. LAL	11	2-4 (2-2)	5	0	0	1	1	6	13
Wenyen Gabriel (LAL)	136-134 W @ SAC	6	3-5 (0-1)	3	1	0	0	1	-12	13
Malik Monk (SAC)	134-136 L vs. LAL	DNP-Leg	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	116-121 L vs. BOS	DNP-Hamstring	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Anthony Davis (LAL)	136-134 W @ SAC	DNP-Foot	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Today in the NBA

3:00: 76ers (Maxey) @ Pistons (Diallo, Knox, Noel)
3:30: Trail Blazers (Sharpe)@ Raptors
5:00: Hornets (Richards, PJ Washington) @ Pacers (Jackson)
6:00: Nets @ Heat (Adebayo: questionable, Herro: questionable)
6:00: Jazz @ Grizzlies
7:00: Timberwolves (Towns: out) @ Rockets (TyTy Washington: G League)
7:00: Mavericks @ Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander)
8:00: Cavaliers @ Suns (Booker: out)
9:00: Hawks @ Clippers (Boston Jr., Wall)