Big fourth quarter from De'Aaron Fox helps Sacramento Kings rally past Philadelphia 76ers

Jason Anderson, The Sacramento Bee on Jan 2, 2025

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De’Aaron Fox scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Kings rally for a 113-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

The Kings trailed 103-94 with less than five minutes remaining, but they outscored the 76ers 19-4 over the final 4:41.

Fox scored 35 points for the Kings (15-19), who have won two in a row under interim coach Doug Christie after ending a six-game losing streak.

Paul George scored 30 points for the 76ers (13-18), who had won four in a row and 10 of 13 after going 3-14 to start the season.

The Kings will return to action Friday when they conclude a three-game homestand against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Stat leaders

Malik Monk scored 20 points for Sacramento. DeMar DeRozan had 18. Domantas Sabonis finished with 17 points, 21 rebounds and seven assists.

Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points for Philadelphia. Eric Gordon came off the bench to score 14 points.

Injury updates

Kings forward Keegan Murray was ruled out for Wednesday’s game due to left ankle soreness.

The 76ers were missing a number of players, including former MVP Joel Embiid, who was out with a left foot sprain. Kelly Oubre Jr. (hand), KJ Martin (foot) and Jared McCain (knee) were also out.

Halftime report

Fox buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 57 going into the halftime break.

The Kings trailed by 14 in the second quarter before staging a 17-3 run to even the score.

Sacramento shot 48.9% from the field and 37.5% from 3-point range while holding Philadelphia to 44.7% shooting. The Kings outscored the 76ers 28-22 on points in the paint, but the 76ers had a 16-5 advantage in points off turnovers.

George led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the first half. Fox had 16 points, going 5 of 7 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.

Second-half summary

Philadelphia went up by nine midway through the third quarter and carried an 89-80 lead into the fourth.

The Kings trailed 103-94 with five minutes remaining. They got within two on a 3-pointer by Keon Ellis with 1:48 to play and tied the game on a layup by DeRozan with 1:00 to go.

Sacramento took a 109-107 lead when Monk was awarded a basket on a goaltending violation with 32.8 seconds remaining. The Kings secured the victory when Monk made two free throws to put his team up by four with 7.4 seconds to go.

Prayers for New Orleans

Interim Kings coach Doug Christie opened his pregame news conference with a message to the people of New Orleans, where at least 15 people were killed in an apparent act of terrorism during New Year’s festivities.

“First and foremost, our hearts and prayers go out to all the people in New Orleans affected by that tragedy,” Christie said. “We play a game and there’s real things always going on in the world, so much love to everybody in New Orleans at this time.”

Up next

The Kings will try to avenge an earlier loss when they play host to the Grizzlies on Friday. Memphis will be without Ja Morant, who is considered week-to-week with a right shoulder injury.

The Grizzlies (23-11) have won three of four after beating the Phoenix Suns 117-112 on Tuesday. Jaren Jackson Jr. had a huge game with 38 points and 12 rebounds.

The Grizzlies beat the Kings 115-110 on Dec. 5 in Memphis. The Kings shot just 38.8% against a Grizzlies team that ranks fourth in the NBA in defensive rating.

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