BBNBA: De'Aaron Fox steps up and delivers in closing seconds
De’Aaron Fox stunned the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night, but is anyone really stunned by his heroics yet again? In a back-and-forth affair, the Sacramento Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls 117-114 thanks to one man.
Mr. Fox proved why his veins are the coldest, the iciest. With the game tied at 114, Fox dribbled between his legs at halfcourt as the game clock went below five seconds. With his left hand glued to the ball and his feet pulling up just in front of the 3-point line, Fox unleashed a dagger. Two Bulls closed out on him, but it wasn’t enough. Fox swished from beyond the arc and left Chicago with a minimal 0.7 seconds to play. It wasn’t enough for the Bulls. Fox silenced the United Center for the night.
There’s something about Fox in clutch situations, and I’m not just saying that. He leads the NBA in most clutch points with 180. Another thing going for him? Well, that could be Fox’s 24 30-point performances this season. That’s another top-10 stat in the league for him — he currently ranks eighth in that department.
A close bunch
The Kings seem to be all good after their scuffle vs. the Bucks a few nights ago. In fact, the Kings are pretty great as of late. A 9-2 record since the All-Star break has Sacramento in a deadlock with Memphis for second place in the West.
There’s still some BBNBA love to spare, however. Malik Monk‘s 19-point night off the bench proved vital for the Kings. That being said, what Fox said after the game about his ex-Kentucky teammate may be even more respectful.
“I’m not surprised. I’ve been with him for a long time, I know what he’s going to do,” said Monk when asked about Fox’s late-game heroics. This BBNBA backcourt combo should continue to make people smile. This Kings’ chemistry is undeniable and kind of impossible not to root for.
More BBNBA big nights
There wasn’t a shortage of scoring across the league last night. Tyrese Maxey, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Keldon Johnson all got buckets and went a collective 3-1 on the night. Sorry Keldon, the Spurs are just in a league of their own — a bad league, maybe even the G-League. Enough banter, let’s talk basketball.
We start with Maxey who shot the lights out in Cleveland. Maxey went 5-7 from 3-point land in Philly’s 118-109 win over the Cavs. These weren’t ordinary threes as well. Maxey had one triple in the first quarter where he was falling out of bounds and sunk it. Then in crunch time, he hit a deep dagger that extended Philly’s lead to six with two minutes to play. When things were all said and done, Mad Maxey finished with 23 points.
In Miami, Herro and Adebayo had fantastic nights which propelled the Heat to a 138-119 domination against the Grizzlies. Miami was hot in the third, outscoring Memphis 42-26. Herro had 24 points, four rebounds, and six assists on 9-14 shooting. Adebayo had a slightly better stat line with 26 points, eight boards, and three assists. Once again, Bam led the Heat in the points and rebounds categories. This streaky Miami team has now rattled off two straight wins and is 38-33. Could it be Bam Adebayo statue time on the white shores of South Beach if Miami sneaks its way out of Play-In conversation?
Wise Words
We finish with the only loss out of the 20-plus point bunch. The Spurs fell 137-128 to the Mavericks. Similar to Adebayo, Keldon Johnson led his respective team in points and rebounds, but finishing the night with 27 points and eight rebounds wasn’t enough as the Spurs lost in overtime. The Spurs are 18-51 and sit second-to-last in the West.
Johnson inked a four-year, $80 million extension with San Antonio this summer, but jeez, does he look like he could need some help. He’s averaging 21.6 PPG this season and the Spurs are in full on tank-mode. Help could come down the line, but who knows how long that could take.
Despite everything this season has thrown at Johnson so far, he’s still feeling the love from everyone.
Other BBNBA notes
- Jarred Vanderbilt and Wenyen Gabriel fell short as the Lakers lost 114-110 in Houston. Vanderbilt did notch a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Gabriel wasn’t as effective scoring but he had a tremendous night on the glass, finishing with 14 boards. Anthony Davis didn’t feature for Los Angeles, nor did TyTy Washington Jr. for the Rockets.
- Some more no-shows include the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Brandon Boston Jr. Towns remains sidelined due to a calf strain but is trending towards a return, while Boston hasn’t seen recent action due to a bruised tailbone.
3/15 BBNBA Statistics
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | MIN | +/- |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 117-114 W @ CHI | 32 | 12-17 (4-6) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 32 | +5 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 137-128 L (OT) vs. DAL | 27 | 11-25 (3-8) | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 36 | -7 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 138-119 W vs. MEM | 26 | 10-15 (0-0) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 33 | +20 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 138-119 W vs. MEM | 24 | 9-14 (2-6) | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33 | +15 |
| Tyrese Maxey (PHI) | 118-109 W @ CLE | 23 | 8-14 (5-7) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 34 | +8 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 117-114 W @ CHI | 19 | 6-10 (5-8) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 23 | -5 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (LAL) | 114-110 L @ HOU | 13 | 6-13 (0-2) | 10 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | -4 |
| Wenyen Gabriel (LAL) | 114-110 L @ HOU | 6 | 2-5 (0-0) | 14 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 | +12 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 117-114 W @ CHI | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Anthony Davis (LAL) | 114-110 L @ HOU | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TyTy Washington Jr. (HOU) | 114-110 W vs. LAL | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 134-126 W vs. GSW | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 104-102 L vs. BOS | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00: Nuggets (Murray) @ Pistons (Diallo: out, Noel)
7:30: Kings (Fox, Monk, Lyles) @ Nets
7:30: Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander) @ Raptors
8:00: Pacers (Jackson) @ Bucks
10:00 (NBA TV): Magic @ Suns (Booker)
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