What we learned when Fox’s Kings wasted record 60 in NBA Cup loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
BOX SCORE
SACRAMENTO — De’Aaron Fox put on the performance of his life, scoring a franchise-record 60 points, but incredibly it wasn’t enough as the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled away in overtime to defeat the Kings 130-126 in a NBA Cup Group A game on Friday evening at Golden 1 Center.
Fox, whose previous high was 44 points, shot 22 of 35, made six 3-pointers and had seven assists. He scored 16 points in the final nine and a half minutes of the fourth quarter, including a clutch layup with 38.6 seconds remaining in regulation.
It’s the first 50-point game of Fox’s NBA career and the 15e times he pours in 40 or more. Sacramento’s speedy point guard has scored 20 points or more in his last nine games
Jack Twyman previously held the Kings franchise single-scoring record with 59 points in 1960, when the team was known as the Cincinnati Royals.
Domantas Sabonis had 23 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks for Sacramento. Keegan Murray added 14 points.
Fox made a pair of 3-pointers in overtime, but the Wolves rallied to beat the Kings 16-11 in overtime.
The Kings, who lost to the Wolves at home in the season opener last month, fell to 7-6. Sacramento hasn’t defeated Minnesota since Feb. 9, 2022, at the Golden 1 Center.
Fox and Sabonis kept the Kings going early despite the Wolves controlling most of the first half. Fox scored nine points in the first quarter and 12 in the second, while Sabonis overcame a few turnover issues and nearly had a double-double by halftime.
These are the conclusions from Friday’s match:
Len joins the Kings starting lineup
Kings coach Mike Brown was forced to shuffle his lineup after DeMar DeRozan was ruled out due to lower back tightness, an injury that first flared up Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns.
One of the more intriguing changes was the decision to start Alex Len at centre, while Sabonis was moved forward. Sabonis, of course, provided most of the scoring, while Len had two points and made just two shots in his first NBA start since April 7, 2023.
The Kings’ two big men did a good job limiting the impact of Wolves center Rudy Gobert. Minnesota’s three-time All-Star had 11 points but took just seven shots.
More lineup shuffling
Part of Brown’s lineup shuffle went beyond starting the twin peaks of Sabonis and Len.
Murray, who had started at power forward, slid into DeRozan’s small forward spot and shot 6 of 15 (2 of 7 behind the arc).
He also made an impact play in the second quarter with a follow-up dunk after Doug McDermott missed a fastbreak layup.
Huerter’s inconsistency continues
Over the past ten days, Kevin Huerter has played a series of alternating good and bad games. Unfortunately for the Kings, Friday’s game against the Wolves fell into the latter category.
Two days after dropping a season-high 22 points to the Suns, Huerter suffered a brutal night against the Wolves. The 26-year-old missed his first four shots and went scoreless for three quarters before finishing with four points on 2 of 7 shooting.
Sacramento’s offense operates at a different, more efficient level when Huerter’s shot is targeted, and the difference when he’s free can be night and day.
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