De'Aaron Fox suffers fractured finger in shooting hand, doubtful for Game 5

Can someone please put a ban on injuries?

Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox is just the latest NBA star to suffer an untimely injury during the first round of the postseason. On Monday afternoon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Fox has suffered a fracture to the “very tip” of the index finger on his left hand — his shooting hand — and as a result is being listed as doubtful for the Kings’ Game 5 matchup with the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night in Sacramento.

The injury occurred during the Kings’ 126-125 Game 4 loss to the Warriors on Sunday, although it’s not entirely clear when the injury actually happened. There is speculation that Fox clipped the same index finger on Warriors center Kevon Looney with roughly 4:35 left in the fourth quarter, which is when the fracture could have transpired.

Fox still finished Game 4 with 38 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in nearly 40 minutes played, even hitting a must-have triple with under 30 seconds left that cut Golden State’s lead to just one point. Wojnarowski reports that Fox would need to play with a protective covering on his finger if he were to give it a go in Game 5.

De'Aaron Fox hit this with a fractured finger pic.twitter.com/osixJGYjjT

— x – Alex 👋 (@Dubs408) April 24, 2023

After taking a 2-0 lead in the series against the defending champions, the three-seeded Kings have now dropped both games on the road to the six-seeded Warriors. The series shifts back to Sacramento with the series knotted 2-2, but no Fox — who recently won the NBA’s inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award and was as first-time All-Star this season — could be a recipe for disaster for the home team.

Through his first four playoff outings, the former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 2.5 steals in 38.5 minutes per contest. He’s shooting 44.7 percent overall, 34.2 percent from distance, and 70.0 percent from the free throw line. His 126 total points rank him sixth all-time (in a tie with Anthony Davis) in league history for the most points scored during a player’s first four playoff games.

Just terrible injury luck for Fox and the Kings. Here’s hoping he can tough it out for Game 5 and keep Sacramento afloat with Game 6 headed back to San Francisco.