De’Aaron Fox Suffers Injury In Sacramento Kings’ Loss To Pelicans
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings had a miserable night as they were defeated by the New Orleans Pelicans by a score of 114-101.
Game Summary
For most Sacramento Kings fans, this game had to be highlighted on their calendars last fall. A chance where fans get to see their young talent match up against DeMarcus Cousins, a player who was beloved in the city of Sacramento, was a game that had to be a must-watch in the Kings community
But things have changed in the last couple of months. Boogie is now nursing an Achilles injury he suffered last January while De’Aaron Fox went down with a back injury in the beginning minutes of tonight’s game.
Fox’s injury showed to set the Kings back in the first period. They struggled to put points on the board while allowing the New Orleans Pelicans to have their way offensively. As a result, the Kings trailed 32-21 once the quarter concluded.
The second quarter did not get any better for the Kings as the Pelicans continued to stomp on the accelerator. New Orleans was able to shoot 58% from the court and 45% from the three-point line as Sacramento shot 35% and 23% from those same areas. Kosta Koufos did have a solid half scoring six points and grabbing eight rebounds, but the Pelicans still controlled a comfortable 62-44 lead going into halftime.
A new half, but the same results from both teams. The Kings were able to tie the period 23-23 but still could not gain any momentum from their play. Anthony Davis did suffer a nasty ankle injury which sidelined New Orleans’ star player, but the Pelicans still had a commanding lead of 85-67 going into the final period.
With Davis now out for the Pelicans while the team was playing the second part of a back-to-back, the Kings’ chances of winning this match suddenly increased.
The purple and white did take advantage to start the fourth. A 13-6 scoring run helped the Kings cut the Pelicans’ lead down to nine points. But when New Orleans needed a basket, they were able to score points behind the play of Jrue Holiday and Nikola Mirotic, resulting in a 114-101 win for the Pelicans in the end.
Final Thoughts
Overall, not a successful night for the Kings. For most of the game, they were manhandled by New Orleans on both ends of the court. If it were not for the Pelicans coming off an intense game against the Los Angeles Clippers last night and Anthony Davis leaving the game early, this contest probably would have been a blowout.
Hopefully, the Kings can rebound after this defeat. They did get solid performances by some of their young guys so maybe they can carry that momentum going into this Friday when they face off against the Orlando Magic.