DeRozan, Fox are proving to be a formidable clutch duo for the Kings

On By Littum

DeRozan, Fox are proving to be a formidable clutch duo for the Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SACRAMENTO – Kings’ fans have grown accustomed to watching De’Aaron Fox takes over in the fourth quarter. Over the past two-plus seasons, no one in the NBA has scored more in the final 12 minutes of a game than the 1,360 points Fox poured in Thursday.

The only other player to even come close to those numbers was DeMar DeRozan (1,249) and the six-time All-Star showed why with one of his most clutch performances in a Kings’ uniform.

DeRozan scored 16 of his game-high 33 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Kings hold a pesky and very good Houston Rockets squad 132-127 at the Golden 1 Center and on national television.

“It was part of the conversation even before I got here, just being able to take the load off each other. Over the years, to have him carry the load so much every single night,” DeRozan said. “Now have two guys that are familiar, in that position, you can sort of read and understand what’s rolling, who’s rolling. Many times it is a feeling, it is an understanding.”

The Kings feel and look much more cohesive since making a coaching change three weeks ago. They quickly put together a seven-game winning streak, their longest since 2022, then bounced back from a tough loss Tuesday in Milwaukee to end the Rockets’ five-game winning streak.

Several Kings players had it going against Houston, but it was DeRozan who stood out the most. He knocked down all five shots he took, made good on all five free throws he attempted (Sacramento was 13-for-13 from the line in the fourth quarter) and had three rebounds and two assists.

Fox also had a strong fourth quarter with seven of his 19 points, giving the Kings a powerful 1-2 punch down the stretch.

“I just knew it was a matter of time where we would be able to kind of capture the rhythm of understanding when and who got it rolling and how to capitalize on those moments ,” DeRozan said.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast