De’Aaron Fox’s Game-Winner Lifts Kings Over Wizards

‘Fourth quarter Fox’ strikes again.

With the game tied at 119-119 with 22.6 seconds remaining in Wednesday night’s game between the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards, the writing was on the wall.

It was De’Aaron Fox time.

One of the leading fourth quarter scorers in the NBA added another highlight to his reel by drilling a game-winning step-back jumper over Wizards star Bradley Beal to give the Kings a 121-119 win in dramatic fashion.

Sacramento (16-24) snaps a two-game losing streak with the win before heading to Boston for the first game of a back-to-back.

DE'AARON FOX. CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/5ZitnD6LTs

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 18, 2021

Fox’s game winner was the exclamation point on another hard fought contest for the Kings, who were on the verge of blowing yet another double-digit lead before the 23-year-old guard’s heroics.

The Kings, who at one point held an 11 point lead on Wednesday night, held similar leads during their losses to Atlanta and Charlotte.

Sacramento’s franchise guard would not let the losing streak reach a third game however, swishing a 19-foot step-back with 0.7 seconds left to all but seal the win.

Washington’s Russell Westbrook would throw the ball away in head scratching fashion to seal the game for good, give the Kings possession to let the final 0.7 seconds tick off of the clock.

Of course, things did not start off strong for the Kings, with Washington taking a six-point lead early in the first quarter.

N🚫T up in here pic.twitter.com/jhImyl52q6

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 18, 2021

Sacramento had its hands full in the paint during the first half, being out-rebounded 40-28 over the first 24 minutes by the Wizards, who were led by former Kings center Alex Len (season-high nine first half rebounds).

Thanks to strong first half performances from Tyrese Haliburton, De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, the Kings were able to keep things close, tying the contest up at 66-66 heading into the break.

The Kings would take a double-digit lead in the third quarter before Washington cut the deficit to 102-93 heading into the final quarter.

Thanks to efforts from former MVP Russell Westbrook and All-Star guard Bradley Beal, the Wizards would go on a run to tie things up at 119-119 with just 22 seconds remaining.

Fox would take the clock down to two seconds before knocking down the bucket to send the Kings off to Boston on a much-needed high note.

Box Score Roundup

For the 10th game in-a-row, De’Aaron Fox topped the 20-point mark as the young guard continues to show that he is taking an emphatic step forward this season.

Fox finished with 28 points (career-high 11 made free-throws), seven assists and a season-high five steals in the win.

Alongside Fox in the backcourt, Tyrese Haliburton got the start on Wednesday with Marvin Bagley III (hand) out of action.

This alley-oop on replay, please 😎 pic.twitter.com/LF52eOdwMz

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 18, 2021

In his third start of the season, the rookie guard knocked off the rust from his first three games back from a calf injury to post a familiar stat-line of 17 points (three-of-six from three-point range and four assists over 33 minutes.

The 21-year-old guard was said to be on a minutes restriction, but Kings head coach Luke Walton played the 12th overall pick from last year’s draft more than many anticipated.

Both Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes scored 18 points in the win, with Barnes also adding eight rebounds, five assists and a steal in the win.

After struggling in the first half, Holmes got going later on in the game to finish with 18 points (seven-of-13 from the field) to go along with seven rebounds before fouling out late.

Get UP Holmes 🔨 pic.twitter.com/gHnDekco9M

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 18, 2021

Rounding out a starting lineup that all finished with at least 16 points or more was Buddy Hield, who converted three three-point field goals en route to a 16-point showing.

Cory Joseph was Sacramento’s leading scorer off of the bench, finishing with 12 points and three steals over 25 minutes.

Justin James provided some strong minutes off of the Kings bench during the win, scoring six points to go along with one rebound and two assists.

A lot of James’ positives did not show up in the box score, such as the young guard’s defensive efforts and ability to help push the pace offensively with his solid speed.

Welcome Back

With Marvin Bagley III (fractured fourth metacarpal) out indefinitely, the Kings needed reinforcements on Wednesday night.

Sacramento was able to staff center Hassan Whiteside and forward Robert Woodard II on the active roster, with Whiteside making his first appearance since February 21st.

This alley-oop on replay, please 😎 pic.twitter.com/LF52eOdwMz

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 18, 2021

The veteran center added six points, six rebounds and two blocks over 20 minutes of action.

Both players were on minutes restrictions after Whiteside missed 10 games due to health & safety protocols, while Woodard was sidelined for a month due to a left hamstring strain.

Coming Up

The lengthy road trip will continue on Friday night when the Kings will play their first game of a back-to-back against the Boston Celtics.

In their only meeting this season, Sacramento outlasted Boston for a 116-111 win at Golden 1 Center back on February 3rd. De’Aaron Fox’s 26-point, 11 assist double-double would lift the Kings to a win over Jayson Tatum (27 point) and the Celtics.

You can find all of your Kings vs Celtics coverage right here on Sports 1140 KHTK, starting at 3:00pm PST prior to a 4:00pm PST tip-off from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.

Upcoming Kings Schedule

• March 19th @ Boston Celtics
• March 20th @ Philadelphia 76ers
• March 22nd @ Cleveland Cavaliers
• March 24 vs Atlanta Hawks
• March 25 vs Golden State Warriors