Kings-Pistons Matchup of the Game: De'Aaron Fox vs. Cade Cunningham

Two young stars face off in the Kings and Pistons first matchup of the year.

Dec 19, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) dribbles the ball up the court against the Los Angeles Lakers in the fourth quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings have lost four straight games, and while it seems like things should be easier tonight against the Detroit Pistons, the two teams come into the game with the same records of 13-17.

With Domantas Sabonis' status in question for tonight's game, it makes the matchup of the game an easy choice as two explosive guards faceoff in De'Aaron Fox and Cade Cunningham.

Season Stats:

• De'Aaron Fox: 26.2 PTS | 5.0 REB | 6.2 AST | 1.6 STL | 0.3 BLK | 48.3 FG% | 33.3 3P%

• Cade Cunningham: 23.9 PTS | 7.0 REB | 9.7 AST | 0.9 STL | 0.9 BLK | 45.3 FG% | 37.3 3P%

This will be just the third time in his career that Cade Cunningham plays against the Kings. It's a bit of a schedule oddity for the fourth-year guard.

While Cunningham has had his share of injuries, he played 64 games his rookie season and 62 games last season, so the timing just hasn't lined up for him to suit up against the Kings.

While the Kings and Sacramento fans haven't seen much of Cunningham directly, he's proving why he was the number one overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft.

With career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and three-point percentage, he's taken another step this season that the Kings will have to be ready for.

Fox is coming off a 23-point, 7-assist performance against the Indiana Pacers, but he shot just 36.8% from the field. If Sabonis is unable to go tonight, he'll need to score with efficiency against the gritty Pistons team.

Fox is averaging 27.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists over the Kings' four-game losing streak, so it's possible that even if he does outduel his opposing guard, the losing streak could unfortunately continue.

For the sake of trade rumors, locker room vibes, and Western Conference standings though, let's hope that's not the case.

Stat predictions:

De'Aaron Fox: 29 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 0 blocks

Cade Cunningham: 19 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

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