Kings-76ers Matchup of the Game: De'Aaron Fox vs. Tyrese Maxey

Well, here we are. Amid trade speculations and rumors around De'Aaron Fox, the Sacramento Kings (24-22) take on the Philadelphia 76ers, who are winners of three straight.
The NBA world was set ablaze yesterday with the news that De'Aaron Fox could be traded, but the fact is that the Kings don't get to stand around and put their season on pause while they sift through the drama.
With Joel Embiid already ruled out and Paul George listed as questionable in the latest injury report, Tyrese Maxey becomes the clear choice for the matchup of the game. And in turn, assigns the Kings' side of the matchup to none other than Fox.
Season Stats:
- De'Aaron Fox: 25.2 PTS | 6.2 AST | 5.0 REB | 1.5 STL | 0.5 BLK | 46.8 FG% | 32.4 3P%
- Tyrese Maxey: 27.1 PTS | 5.9 AST | 3.5 REB | 2.0 STL | 0.4 BLK | 43.6 FG% | 34.0 3P%
At this point, all indications point to De'Aaron Fox playing tonight. He's not listed on the injury report, an often used way of resting players amid trade rumors, and he was an active participant in the team's shootaround this morning, per the Sacramento Bee's Chris Biderman.
De’Aaron Fox participating at Kings shootaround this morning in Philadelphia. pic.twitter.com/xrUFuVpDF2
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) January 29, 2025
There's still a chance that Fox remains with the Kings after the trade deadline, and if that's the case, the Kings need to win. Even if the star guard is traded, Fox has always indicated he'll play as much as he's able, and I don't expect anything else from him tonight.
In the first matchup of the season against Philadelphia, which the Kings won, Fox scored 35 points on 13-of-16, 81.3%, from the field.
On the flipside, Tyrese Maxey is coming off a 43-point performance last night against the Los Angeles Lakers and is continuing his best season to date.
Maxey is one of the most explosive and shifty guards in the NBA, and when he gets going, is hard to shut down. Expect the Kings to give him the true star treatment and make the 76ers role players beat them instead of Maxey.
Looking once again at the first matchup between these two teams, Maxey scored 27 points and dished out 7 assists, but on an inefficient 23 field goal attempts. That's something the Kings would likely live with every game if given the option.
Stat predictions:
De'Aaron Fox: 31 PTS, 3 AST, 5 REB, 2 STL, 0 BLK
Tyrese Maxey: 23 PTS, 8 AST, 3 REB, 1 STL, 1 BLK
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