BBNBA: Fox & Cousins backstabbed after good performances

Pretty busy day of action across the NBA on Wednesday. But it wasn’t all good news for our former ‘Cats. Let’s talk about it.

Fox nearly carries Kings across the finish line

It wouldn’t be a Kings game unless De’Aaron Fox pulled off some Herculean magic at the end only to wind up on the losing side once again. In yesterday’s home matchup against the Trae Young-less Hawks, Fox shot over 50% of the field and scored 30 points, including this and-one to tie the game with under a minute to go.

DE'AARON FOX JUST COOKED THE HAWKS DEFENSE INTO OBLIVION pic.twitter.com/D8iEMaDcAR
— DGC (@Itamar_17_10) January 6, 2022

Unfortunately, things went downhill from there for Sacramento. Kevin “Red Velvet” Huerter scored on consecutive possessions to re-extend the lead for Atlanta for good. A Fox free throw was the only other point scored by the Kings as they wound up losing 108-102.

That drops Sacramento to 16-24 on the year. Putting them out of the play-in picture at the 11-seed at the moment. A franchise that just can’t get out of its own way.

Cousins records double-double; gets cut later on

Unknowingly at the time, DeMarcus Cousins played his last game as a Buck Wednesday evening.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo out, Boogie came off the bench to score 15 points, grab 10 rebounds and record three steals. All in just 20 minutes. Honestly one of his best performances as a Buck. But Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst and the front office must’ve thought otherwise.

An hour or so after the game, news broke that Cousins was going to be waived ahead of the NBA’s Friday deadline for teams to guarantee non-guaranteed contracts.

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It’s brutal out here. In the span of a few nights a guy can go for 15 & 10 with three steals and essentially be cut before he’s done showering afterward. Hopefully, another contender takes advantage of Milwaukee’s mistake. Perhaps a reunion with an L.A. team could be in the works.

KAT & Vanderbilt crash the glass

Minnesota will take wins any way they can get them. Last night, the T-Wolves defended their home court in an ugly 98-90 win against the Thunder.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Jarred Vanderbilt were crusaders on the glass. Towns scored 17 and pulled down 16 rebounds while Vanderbilt only took four shots but finished with 13 rebounds. The Big Blue frontcourt for Minnesota combined for 22 points and 29 rebounds on the day. Not too shabby.

On the Oklahoma City side of the court, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led his team with 19 points but made just a third of his shot attempts. Despite the loss, OKC has played its way out of the NBA’s basement in the last few weeks. It’s hard to believe but they’re only two games back from the play-in.

Statistics

Player	Result	Points	FG(3PA)	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks	Turnovers	Minutes	+/-
De’Aaron Fox (SAC)	108-102 L vs. ATL	30	12-23 (1-3)	2	6	1	0	1	38	-9
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	98-90 L @ MIN	19	5-15 (2-6)	2	5	0	0	4	38	-18
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN)	98-90 W vs. OKC	17	6-14 (1-4)	16	3	1	2	6	37	+16
Trey Lyles (DET)	140-111 L @ CHA	17	7-13 (1-2)	7	1	0	0	1	24	-5
Tyler Herro (MIA)	115-109 W @ POR	16	5-23 (2-9)	5	3	1	0	2	36	+1
DeMarcus Cousins (MIL)	117-111 L vs. TOR	15	5-8 (2-3)	10	0	3	1	1	20	+9
PJ Washington (CHA)	140-111 W vs. DET	14	4-6 (2-4)	8	4	1	0	5	24	+26
Keldon Johnson (SAS)	99-97 W @ BOS	13	5-10 (3-4)	6	1	0	0	1	33	+2
Hamidou Diallo (DET)	140-111 L @ CHA	9	4-7 (0-0)	3	1	1	0	0	24	-25
Nick Richards (CHA)	140-111 W vs. DET	7	2-3 (0-0)	2	0	1	0	1	4	-6
Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN)	98-90 W vs. OKC	5	2-4 (0-0)	13	3	1	1	1	30	+21
Mychal Mulder (ORL)	116-106 L vs. PHI	DNP – CD	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Enes Freedom (BOS)	99-97 L vs. SAS	DNP – CD	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Tyrese Maxey (PHI)	116-106 W @ ORL	DNP – Health Protocol	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	129-121 L vs. BKN	DNP – Health Protocol	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–