Sactown 5-0: Fox, Haliburton Lead Kings Past Cavs
Mar 22, 2021, 6:59 PM | Updated: 7:26 pm
Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images
De’Aaron Fox topped the 30-point mark once again while Tyrese Haliburton established a new career-high in the blowout win over Cleveland
If one thing is certain regarding the future of the Sacramento Kings franchise, it’s this:
De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are going to be a lot of fun to watch for years to come.
The young duo combined for 58 points on Monday night to lead the Kings past the Cleveland Cavaliers by a final of 119-105 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio.
With the win, Sacramento (18-25) has won three of their last four while concluding its 10-day, six-game road-trip with a 3-3 record.
Sacramento would get off to a strong start in the first half, taking a 62-59 lead into the break thanks to De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton (10 points in the first quarter) both scoring 14 points over the first 24 minutes.
Fox, who has been one of the NBA’s leading scorers in the fourth quarter this season, got going a little early on Monday night.
The 23-year-old would go on a tear in the third quarter, scoring 11 points in the period to help Sacramento build a big lead heading into the fourth and final period.
With Fox locked in and the supporting cast doing its part, the Kings would take a 90-76 lead into fourth, with the double-digit lead providing enough cushion to hold off Cleveland for the win.
Sactown 5-0
Sacramento’s starting backcourt was in its bag on Monday night.
De’Aaron Fox finished 13-of-23 from the field to top the 30-point mark for the ninth-time this season, scoring 30 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists and two steals.
With Rookie of the Year frontrunner LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets likely out for the rest of the season due to a fractured wrist, there is a window for Tyrese Haliburton to make a push for the award.
Haliburton started his campaign off on the right foot against Cleveland, scoring a career-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field (four-of-five from three-point range to go along with two dimes, a block and a steal over 36 minutes.
Since returning from injury, Haliburton has looked rusty in most of his showings–but not on Monday.
Hopefully the 28-point showing against Cleveland is a sign of things to come as the Kings return back home.
Rounding out the box score
For the 16th time this season, Richaun Holmes tallied a double-double, putting forward yet another valiant effort in the win.
Holmes would finish eight-of-nine from the field for a 17-point night to go along with 16 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and two blocked shots.
One game removed from a scoring outburst against the Philadelphia 76ers, Buddy Hield had another strong offensive showing on Monday night, knocking down five of his ten three-point field goal attempts for 19-point performance.
Hield has scored at least 16 points in five-straight games–including three games in which he topped the 20-point mark.
Although he had a quiet night on the scoring front (nine points on four-of-10 shooting), Harrison Barnes showed his versatility once again during Monday’s win.
Barnes flirted with a triple-double, grabbing 10 boards while also dishing out eight assists–tying his career-high–over a team-high 41 minutes of action.
The veteran forward, who has been mentioned in trade rumors as the deadline approaches, is enjoying the strongest season of his nine-year career.
Moves on the horizon?
The NBA trade deadline is less than 72 hours away, with Thursday’s 12:00pm PST deadline quickly approaching.
It is unknown what new general manager Monte McNair has planned for this week, with the latest rumors from around the league giving off indications that the team will mostly stand pat unless a sizable return is offered for players such as Harrison Barnes, Buddy Hield & Richaun Holmes.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the NBA’s most plugged in source, shared on Monday that teams are beginning to get a sense of how far they are going to go on offers.
It is expected that most teams will take things up to the deadline–which is how most deadlines usually go.
Stay ready and stay alert for all of your Sacramento Kings trade rumors and updates with us on the following Twitter accounts:
- @Sports1140KHTK
- @FCartoscelli3
Coming Up
At long last, the Kings will return to Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night to face old friend Bogdan Bogdanovic and the Atlanta Hawks.
Just last week, Sacramento suffered a blowout loss to Atlanta on the road, losing by a final of 121-106.
Be sure to tune in for all of the action right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, with pregame coverage beginning at 3:00pm PST on The Jason Ross & Doug Christie Show prior to a 7:00pm PST tip-off.
Upcoming Kings Schedule
- March 24 vs Atlanta Hawks
- March 25 (NBA Trade Deadline at 12:00pm PST)
- March 25 vs Golden State Warriors
- March 27 vs Cleveland Cavaliers
- March 29 @ San Antonio Spurs
