The Sacramento Kings are thankful that De’Aaron Fox has been playing through a thumb injury and other issues, even though his performance has dipped recently.
After suffering their worst loss under interim coach Doug Christie, the Kings hope Fox will turn things around Monday night when they face the Brooklyn Nets, who are on a 10-game home losing streak.
The Kings are 10-4 under Christie, following a 13-18 record under Mike Brown, but they are still winless on their six-game road trip. Sacramento took their second-largest loss of the season on Saturday, falling 143-120 to the New York Knicks.
Fox scored just 14 points on 6 of 20 shooting in the loss to the Knicks, marking the 10th time this season he’s been held under 20 points, with the Kings going 5-5 in those games.
“I had 60 with my hand taped,” Fox said, referring to his 60-point game against the Timberwolves in November despite playing with an injured pinkie on his shooting hand. “People can make up the excuse they want. Sometimes you just don’t play well.”
Fox, who played despite being listed as questionable with a right thumb sprain, missed three games earlier this month due to a right glute contusion. In his seven games since returning from that injury, Fox is averaging 17.1 points and shooting 35.0 percent (43 of 123).
Sacramento’s DeMar DeRozan expressed respect for Fox’s commitment: “I’m pretty sure we all deal with some type of injuries that outside people can’t see. It’s easy just to say, ‘sit down.’ But I respect (Fox), I commend him for even just being out there.”
Domantas Sabonis, who posted his sixth triple-double with 25 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists, values Fox’s presence on the court: “We’re fighting for something… just by him being on the court, it helps us immensely.”
Fox scored 31 points in Sacramento’s 108-103 loss to the Nets on November 24, but the Nets had a full roster including Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, and Ben Simmons. However, Thomas is out with a left hamstring injury, Johnson is sidelined for the 10th time in 13 games due to a right ankle injury, and Simmons may miss the game because of back soreness.
Despite these injuries, the Nets are still winless at home since December 3 and lost 106-97 to the Miami Heat on Saturday, marking their 11th loss in 12 games.
Though Brooklyn fought back in the fourth quarter, cutting an 18-point deficit, they couldn’t muster enough offense and were held under 100 points for the 14th time this season and for the eighth straight home game.
“The resiliency and fight, that’s why I’m proud of the guys,” said first-year Nets coach Jordi Fernandez. “We’ll work at it, we’ll watch it, and we’ll be better. I love the fight, the togetherness.”
Brooklyn has been struggling offensively during its home losing streak, with an average defeat margin of 14.9 points and shooting under 40 percent five times, including a 37.5 percent effort against the Heat.
Keon Johnson and D’Angelo Russell led the Nets with 22 points each. Johnson has been performing well, shooting 45.7 percent from the floor over the past two games and posting back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in his career.
