De’Aaron Fox brilliantly spoils Luka and Kyrie debut

The NBA trade deadline generated a ton of league-wide buzz this year, as it often does. One of the biggest stories coming out of the deadline is how the Dallas Mavericks new all-star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving will work. Sacramento Kings all-star guard De’Aaron Fox brilliantly spoiled the on-court debut of Luka and Kyrie Saturday night.

All eyes were naturally on the Mavs in this one. It was Irving’s third game with Dallas but his first playing alongside Doncic. Even though all eyes were initially on the Mavericks new duo, when the game ended, all the talk was about Fox.

In the second night of a back-to-back between the two teams, the Kings were able to avenge their Friday night loss. The rematch ended 133-128, in favor of Sacramento.

De’Aaron Fox once again Dominated in the Clutch

Brilliant might be an understatement when describing how De’Aaron Fox spoiled this one for the Mavericks. The NBA’s best clutch performer on the season, Fox, absolutely dominated down the stretch to will Sacramento to a win.

After scoring ten points in the first half, Fox was held scoreless in the third quarter. With a back-and-forth contest taking place, everyone knew he was going to have to get going offensively to give the Kings a chance.

Oh, he got going. First, Fox scored 12 of the team’s 28 points in the 4th quarter. That gave him more points in the final 12 minutes than in the first 36. When the game remained tied at the end of regulation, Fox apparently decided he would have to do even more.

He erupted for 14 more points in the extra five minutes of game time. That matched the total points the Mavs scored in OT.

Unsurprisingly, Fox knocked down all his high-pressure free throws in the final seconds to secure the victory. It was a massive win for the Kings after they stayed pretty quiet at the trade deadline.

De’Aaron Fox ultimately finished with 36 points. 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Domantas Sabonis, his all-star teammate, contributed 22 points and 14 rebounds before falling out late in overtime.

Terence Davis can’t go unnoticed for the role he played. With Malik Monk missing this game, Davis chipped in 22 points off the Kings bench.

Luka and Kyrie were productive in their losing effort. They combined for 55 points and both shot over 50 percent from the field. Ultimately, they couldn’t keep pace with Fox down the stretch.