De'Aaron Fox's return sparks Kings to 132-120 victory over Cavs as Mike Brown earns 400th win
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) De’Aaron Fox had 28 points and six assists in his return after missing two weeks with an ankle injury, and the Sacramento Kings gave coach Mike Brown his 400th career victory with a 132-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for the Kings, who swept the Cavs a season ago. Keegan Murray had a season-high 25 points with five 3-pointers.
“It felt like tonight was kind of a night we’ve kind of been waiting on, where we put it together on the same night,” Murray said. “It felt like it flowed really well and it felt good for everyone.”
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 22 points despite going scoreless in the first quarter. Caris LeVert had 21 points and Max Strus scored 19.
Sacramento had six players in double figures but the night belonged to Fox, who was repeatedly serenaded with “MVP! MVP!” chants in the second half.
Fox made an immediate impact in his first game back, scoring the first points of the night on a driving layup 11 seconds into the game. A first-time All-Star last season, Fox later scored on a reverse and sank a 3-pointer to help the Kings to a 33-25 lead.
“It felt good just to be able to go out there and contribute,” said Fox, who tested his ankle in practice this week and during shootaround. “When I got up today and wasn’t sore, I felt I was good to go.
"I felt well enough to go out there and affect the game.”
That he did.
Fox came out strong again in the second quarter, then went cold late before giving Sacramento’s offense another spark in the third quarter. He had eight points, including an emphatic one-handed dunk off a bounce pass in the key from Malik Monk.
“His play and our play is going to start getting him the recognition he deserves,” Brown said of Fox. “The crazy part is he’s just scratched the surface of who he can be. When he gets there, look out.”
Brown, who led the Kings to the 2023 playoffs in his first season with the team, improved his coaching record to 400-254. The milestone win came against one of his former teams, as Brown coached Cleveland from 2005-10 and in the 2013-14 season.
“You feel all of the emotions: Fortunate, blessed, lucky,” said Brown, who thanked the Cavs, Lakers and several of the players he coached. “It has a lot to do with the people all around me.
"It for sure is an honor to be a part of something like that in this league.”
Cleveland got within 126-115 late in the fourth quarter before Fox’s three-point play with 1:26 remaining helped secure the win.
“We didn’t execute the game plan,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “If you allow teams like this, with the firepower that they have, to play freely, they’re going to get it going.”
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Visit Portland on Wednesday.
Kings: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jarrett Allen vs. Domantas Sabonis (De'Aaron Fox gains possession) | ||
| 11:54 | | De'Aaron Fox misses two point driving layup | ||
| 11:49 | | De'Aaron Fox offensive rebound | ||
| 11:49 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point tip layup | 0-2 |
| 11:34 |  | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 11:30 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 11:24 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point dunk (Harrison Barnes assists) | 0-4 |
| 11:07 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:04 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 10:55 | | Jarrett Allen shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 10:55 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 0-5 |
| 10:55 | | Domantas Sabonis misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 10:51 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 10:32 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 2-5 |
| 10:10 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving reverse layup (Kevin Huerter assists) | 2-7 |
| 9:59 | | Kevin Huerter personal foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 9:48 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:45 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 9:37 | | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 5-7 |
| 9:22 | | Domantas Sabonis turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:08 | | Evan Mobley turnover (traveling) | ||
| 8:49 | | Keegan Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:46 | | Harrison Barnes offensive rebound | ||
| 8:45 | | Harrison Barnes turnover (bad pass) (Max Strus steals) | ||
| 8:42 | | Max Strus misses two point running layup | ||
| 8:42 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | Darius Garland misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:24 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 8:12 | | Evan Mobley shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 8:12 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 5-8 |
| 8:12 | | +1 | Domantas Sabonis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-9 |
| 8:01 | | Kevin Huerter shooting foul (Jarrett Allen draws the foul) | ||
| 8:01 | | +1 | Jarrett Allen makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6-9 |
| 8:01 | | +1 | Jarrett Allen makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 7-9 |
| 7:51 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point driving reverse layup | 7-11 |
| 7:34 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jarrett Allen assists) | 9-11 |
| 7:15 | | Kevin Huerter misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:11 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 7:06 | | Evan Mobley misses two point hook shot | ||
| 7:03 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 7:03 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point putback layup | 11-11 |
| 6:54 | | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point pullup jump shot | 11-14 |
| 6:34 | | Darius Garland misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:31 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:25 | | De'Aaron Fox misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:25 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 6:25 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:11 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:05 | | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | ||
| 6:03 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point dunk | 13-14 |
| 5:49 | | Malik Monk misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:49 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 5:34 | | +3 | Georges Niang makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 16-14 |
| 5:17 | | +2 | Keegan Murray makes two point pullup jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 16-16 |
| 5:04 | | +3 | Caris LeVert makes three point jump shot (Georges Niang assists) | 19-16 |
| 4:50 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point reverse layup (Keegan Murray assists) | 19-18 |
| 4:38 | | Evan Mobley turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 4:33 | | Keon Ellis offensive foul (Caris LeVert draws the foul) | ||
| 4:33 | | Keon Ellis turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 4:19 | | Evan Mobley misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 4:17 | | Sasha Vezenkov defensive rebound | ||
| 4:09 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point driving layup | 19-20 |
| 3:55 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:53 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 3:46 | | Malik Monk turnover (bad pass) (Evan Mobley steals) | ||
| 3:41 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point running layup | ||
| 3:39 | | Malik Monk defensive rebound | ||
| 3:33 | | Keegan Murray misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 3:30 | | Malik Monk offensive rebound | ||
| 3:25 | | Keon Ellis turnover (lost ball) | ||
| 3:07 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point driving layup (Darius Garland assists) | 21-20 |
| 2:53 | | +3 | Sasha Vezenkov makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 21-23 |
| 2:40 | | Darius Garland misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 2:37 | | Sasha Vezenkov defensive rebound | ||
| 2:35 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:22 | | +3 | Sasha Vezenkov makes three point jump shot (Alex Len assists) | 21-26 |
| 2:04 | | Caris LeVert misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 2:00 | | Caris LeVert offensive rebound | ||
| 1:55 | | Caris LeVert misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:51 | | Keegan Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 1:42 | | +3 | Malik Monk makes three point pullup jump shot (Alex Len assists) | 21-29 |
| 1:26 | | +2 | Georges Niang makes two point floating jump shot (Dean Wade assists) | 23-29 |
| 1:09 | | Alex Len misses two point alley-oop dunk | ||
| 1:07 | | Darius Garland defensive rebound | ||
| 1:02 | | Georges Niang misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 1:02 | | Kings defensive rebound | ||
| 0:47 | | +2 | Malik Monk makes two point driving layup | 23-31 |
| 0:35 | | Caris LeVert turnover (lost ball) (De'Aaron Fox steals) | ||
| 0:29 | | +2 | Sasha Vezenkov makes two point running layup (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 23-33 |
| 0:11 | | +2 | Georges Niang makes two point layup | 25-33 |
| 0:01 | | De'Aaron Fox misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Kings offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:37 | | Chris Duarte shooting foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 11:37 | | +1 | Darius Garland makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-33 |
| 11:37 | | +1 | Darius Garland makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 27-33 |
| 11:25 | | +2 | Alex Len makes two point cutting dunk (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 27-35 |
| 11:14 | | Chris Duarte shooting foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 11:14 | | Darius Garland misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 11:14 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 11:14 | | +1 | Darius Garland makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-35 |
| 10:59 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point pullup jump shot | 28-37 |
| 10:45 | | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point pullup jump shot | 31-37 |
| 10:25 | | +2 | De'Aaron Fox makes two point pullup jump shot | 31-39 |
| 10:05 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point floating jump shot | 33-39 |
| 10:00 | | Dean Wade personal foul (De'Aaron Fox draws the foul) | ||
| 9:53 | | Sasha Vezenkov misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:48 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 9:45 | | Jarrett Allen offensive foul (Chris Duarte draws the foul) | ||
| 9:45 | | Jarrett Allen turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:31 | | De'Aaron Fox misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:28 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 9:28 | | Chris Duarte shooting foul (Caris LeVert draws the foul) | ||
| 9:28 | | +1 | Caris LeVert makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-39 |
| 9:28 | | +1 | Caris LeVert makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-39 |
| 9:13 | | +2 | Chris Duarte makes two point driving layup (Alex Len assists) | 35-41 |
| 8:58 | | De'Aaron Fox personal foul (Caris LeVert draws the foul) | ||
| 8:50 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Harrison Barnes defensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | +3 | Malik Monk makes three point stepback jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 35-44 |
| 8:18 | | Caris LeVert misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 8:15 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | +2 | Domantas Sabonis makes two point cutting layup (Malik Monk assists) | 35-46 |
| 8:10 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:49 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 38-46 |
| 7:32 | | Tristan Thompson shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 7:32 | | Domantas Sabonis misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:32 | | Kings offensive rebound | ||
| 7:32 | | Domantas Sabonis misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 7:26 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 7:09 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point layup (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 40-46 |
| 6:59 | | +2 | Harrison Barnes makes two point cutting layup (Malik Monk assists) | 40-48 |
| 6:44 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point alley-oop dunk (Max Strus assists) | 42-48 |
| 6:23 | | +2 | Keon Ellis makes two point pullup bank jump shot | 42-50 |
| 6:10 | | Keon Ellis blocks Donovan Mitchell's three point jump shot | ||
| 6:05 | | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | ||
| 6:05 | | Caris LeVert turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 5:58 | | Evan Mobley personal foul (Harrison Barnes draws the foul) | ||
| 5:53 | | Darius Garland kicked ball violation | ||
| 5:43 | | +3 | Domantas Sabonis makes three point jump shot (De'Aaron Fox assists) | 42-53 |
| 5:25 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point stepback jump shot | 44-53 |
| 5:15 | | De'Aaron Fox misses two point pullup bank jump shot | ||
| 5:12 | | Georges Niang defensive rebound | ||
| 5:06 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point driving layup | 46-53 |
| 4:43 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 46-56 |
| 4:26 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 49-56 |
| 4:08 | | Domantas Sabonis misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:04 | | Tristan Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 3:58 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point pullup jump shot | 51-56 |
| 3:58 | | Kings 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:35 | | +3 | Kevin Huerter makes three point stepback jump shot (Domantas Sabonis assists) | 51-59 |
| 3:18 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point pullup jump shot | 54-59 |
| 3:04 | | Tristan Thompson shooting foul (Keegan Murray draws the foul) | ||
| 3:04 | | +1 | Keegan Murray makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 54-60 |
| 3:04 | | +1 | Keegan Murray makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 54-61 |
| 2:45 | | Domantas Sabonis shooting foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 2:45 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 55-61 |
| 2:45 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 56-61 |
| 2:34 | | Kevin Huerter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:27 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 2:20 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:18 | | Domantas Sabonis defensive rebound | ||
| 2:06 | | Harrison Barnes misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:03 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 1:57 | | Darius Garland misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:52 | | Kevin Huerter defensive rebound | ||
| 1:44 | | +3 | De'Aaron Fox makes three point jump shot (Kevin Huerter assists) | 56-64 |
| 1:32 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point cutting layup (Evan Mobley assists) | 58-64 |
| 1:17 | | Domantas Sabonis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:14 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 1:07 | | Evan Mobley turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 1:03 | | Max Strus personal foul (De'Aaron Fox draws the foul) | ||
| 1:03 | | +1 | De'Aaron Fox makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 58-65 |
| 1:03 | | De'Aaron Fox misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 1:00 | | Harrison Barnes offensive rebound | ||
| 0:58 | | +3 | Keegan Murray makes three point jump shot (Harrison Barnes assists) | 58-68 |
| 0:43 | | Jarrett Allen turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 0:31 | | De'Aaron Fox misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:28 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 0:11 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point pullup jump shot | 60-68 |
| 0:00 | | Evan Mobley shooting foul (Domantas Sabonis draws the foul) | ||
| 0:00 | | Domantas Sabonis misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 0:00 | | Kings offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | |