Kings embrace ‘next-man-up’ mantra in first win after Fox trade

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Kings embrace ‘next-man-up’ mantra in first win after Fox trade originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

For the first time in nearly eight years, the Kings took the court without point guard De’Aaron Fox on Sacramento’s roster.

Sure, they’ve played games without the star point guard over that span, but this was different. Monday night’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves officially kicked off a new era of Kings basketball, and one thing was abuntandly clear in Sacramento’s 116-114 win at Target Center.

No one player can fill Fox’s shoes, but collectively this Kings roster has the pieces to fill the void left behind by the 27-year-old star.

All five of Sacramento’s starters finished in double figures, as the Kings found their rhythm behind the 3-point line, shooting 41.7-percent beyond the arc in a crucial win.

DeMar DeRozan, who finished with a game-high 33 points, proudly reflected on the turmoil the Kings have endured and overcome over the last few weeks.

“It’s been crazy. There’s been a lot going on, not just the last 24 hours, kind of like the last month and half, however long it’s been,” DeRozan said on “Kings Postgame Live”. “But we prevailed. We came together as a team. We knew it was going to be tough and we stuck it out.”

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The sting of losing a teammate always is tough, particularly for the younger players who haven’t experienced the sudden trade deadline changes a seasoned NBA veteran like DeRozan has.

“Especially for the young guys, first time experiencing something like that. We all wish Foxy the best, it sucks to see a brother leave,” DeRozan said. “But we got a job to do and we got to keep pushing forward, next man up.”

Malik Monk chipped in 26 points of his own, playing a game-high 42 minutes while taking over a large chunk of the ball-handling duties that previously belonged to Fox.

Keegan Murray found his shooting stroke, knocking down 7-of-11 field-goal attempts in Monday’s win.

Domantas Sabonis finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, returning to his normal ways after having his 24-game…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kings-embrace-next-man-mantra-221327860.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2025-02-03 22:13:00

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