De'Aaron Fox Monster Game Propels Kings to 113-107 Win Over 76ers

New Year, New Kings - Sacramento wins second straight against the Philadelphia 76ers

Dec 30, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (center) stands on the sideline with interim head coach Doug Christie (left) and assistant coach Luke Loucks (right) during the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

After struggling to close out games all of 2024, the Sacramento Kings started 2025 off strong with a 113-107 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, using their defense and timely scoring to win their second straight game.

Philadelphia led the way for most of the game, but the Kings kept it close and hung around, not letting the game get out of hand. The Kings led 23-22 with 1:13 left in the first quarter but didn't get the lead back until Malik Monk drove for a layup and Guerschon Yabusele was called for goaltending with 34 seconds left, putting the Kings up 109-107.

In his postgame interview, Domantas Sabonis noted that Interim Head Coach Doug Christie told them to try and get three stops in a row. The Kings took that challenge and ran with it, getting eight straight stops after the 76ers hit the 107-point mark.

Sacramento was everywhere on defense tonight. They blitzed the 76ers ball handlers, got in the passing lanes, and used deflections to create chaos on that end of the ball.

You can see the defensive identity that the team is striving for, and it was fitting that the game was sealed with DeMar DeRozan stealing the 76ers inbound pass with six seconds left.

Meanwhile, De'Aaron Fox continued his All-Star caliber season with 35 points on a ridiculous 81.3% from the field.

De'Aaron Fox tonight
35 Points
4 Assists
3 Rebounds
13-of-16 (81.3%) FG
2-of-4 (50%) 3P
11-of-12 (91.7% 🚨) 2P
7-of-8 (87.5%) FT

Fox has the most effortless 30+ games I can remember (as in he makes it look easy, not he lacks effort) pic.twitter.com/S8M3XQGpG8

— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) January 2, 2025

The Kings are still figuring things out, but the effort is definitely there on both ends of the floor. You can see the vision of the best version of the team, one that works their butts off on defense and is led by their stars on offense.

With two straight wins, Sacramento is on the right track to climb out of the Western Conference cellar.

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