When you’re setting franchise records and being mentioned in the same breath with Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain, you know it’s been a good couple of days.
Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox took advantage of a porous Utah defense to score 49 on Saturday night — a game that was the second night of a back-to-back where he scored 60 against the Timberwolves.
That’s 109 points on consecutive nights, a Sacramento Kings franchise record.
The only player to beat it in the last 50 years? Kobe Bryant in 2007. The only other player ever to do better? Wilt Chamberlain, who did it 15 times (because he makes a mockery of the record books).
But did Kobe or Wilt ever almost lose a shoe during a steal, stomp it back on in play, then score a lay-up? I think not.
Fox had to step up Saturday with DeMar DeRozan, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk all out injured for the Kings, and they got the 121-117 win over the Jazz behind him. Kings coach Mike Brown described Fox’s play this way, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“I’ve been in this game since 92,” Brown mentioned. “There’s not a single person in this league who can stop him from getting to his spots when he wants to. And I think he’s feeling that.
“Not only is he feeling that, he’s showing it. When you have guys of his caliber – and I’ve been around the Stephs, the KDs, and the Kobes, and the LeBrons and the Tim Duncans; I’ve been around those types of special players – when you have those guys, they get to their spots when they want to.”
High praise, but Fox has earned all of it.