De’Aaron Fox scores 60 in thrilling OT loss to Minnesota Timberwolves

On By Littum

Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox scored 60 points in a 130-126 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in NBA Cup group play.

Fox’s 60 points broke a franchise record previously held by Jack Twyman, who scored 59 on January 15, 1960 against the Minneapolis Lakers. Unlike Fox, Twyman came out on the winning end for the team then known as the Cincinnati Royals.

Fox, 26, made 22-of-35 shots along with six 3-pointers. He added seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.

At one point, Minnesota led by 20 points after opening the third quarter on a 12-0 run. But Fox picked the Wolves apart all night, sending the game into OT on a floater with 38 seconds left in regulation. He scored 14 points as the Kings went on a 19-2 run in the fourth quarter.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards put a dent in Fox’s big night after hitting a deep dagger corner to put Minnesota up four in OT.

Edwards scored a team-high 36 points and either scored or assisted on 13 of Minnesota’s 15 points in OT.

Fox’s scoring outburst comes two days after Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 59 points and Victor Wembanyama scored 50. Last season, four of the top five scoring games came within four days of each other. On January 22, Joel Embiid hit 70 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 62. Luka Dončić and Devin Booker then had 73 and 62 points, respectively, on January 26.

Edwards saves the day

The Timberwolves came into this game with three straight losses to some lackluster opponents. They fell to Miami at home without Jimmy Butler, then dropped two straight in Portland when the Blazers were without Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton. The Western Conference finalists haven’t looked like the same team from last year, but they were up 20 in the third quarter before giving it all back in the fourth. Had they dropped this one it would have been a disaster.

They needed their superstar and boy did they get it overtime. Edwards hit a 3, got a rare stop on Fox and a beautiful reverse layup before delivering the dagger on a contested long 2-point jumper in the final seconds. The Wolves needed rescuing after their meltdown, and their best player put them on his back in a “We’re not losing this one” performance to make it three games. There are very few players in the league capable of doing what Edwards did in the final five minutes, and he delivered in a critical spot. — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer

Defense is still a problem

The win was a relief for Minnesota, but the nail-biting nature shows how much work the Timberwolves have left to do before they can be considered one of the better teams in the West. Last season, the Wolves had the No. 1 defense in the league by a wide margin, fueling a 56-win season and their first playoff series wins in 20 years. But the defense hasn’t been nearly as sharp this season, and Fox was the latest to blow a hole through it.

Basically, Jaden McDaniels has not been anywhere near the perimeter defender he was last season, when he was recognized as one of the best in the league. Fox was definitely on a heater, but McDaniels was powerless against him and was being cooked left and right throughout the match. It’s not supposed to happen to such a proud defender, but it’s been a regular occurrence this season. If the Wolves are going to find a groove, they need to get McDaniels to guard with the tenacity he had last season.

The same goes for Edwards. He was at best inattentive to the defense for most of the game, and a liability on several occasions. At one point in the third quarter, coach Chris Finch called a timeout after Edwards left his man wide open on two straight possessions. Edwards is considered one of the best two-way players in the league, but the elite ball defense he’s shown in the past has been few and far between this season. He showed up when it mattered most, but there will be plenty of film of blown assignments when they look back on it tomorrow. — Krawczynski

Minnesota spoils Fox’s historic night

As Fox left the field after the game, stopping at midfield to exchange pleasantries with Edwards on his way out, it was impossible not to wonder what he must have been thinking. Here he was make franchise historypassed DeMarcus Cousins’ Sacramento-era record of 56 points in the fourth quarter and Twyman’s all-time mark of 59 in overtime, but had to go home with a loss for the third time in the last five tries.

There was plenty of guilt to go around. Junior forward Keegan Murray missed nine of 15 shots and five of seven 3s, including a wide-open, aerial long-range attempt with 1:28 left in overtime that would have tied the game at 126-126. Shooting guard Kevin Huerter was just two of seven from the field, missing all three of his 3-point attempts and a minus-21 overall. Center Alex Len, who started alongside Domantas Sabonis due to DeMar DeRozan’s absence, was a minus-14 in just nine minutes of action.

As Fox made clear heading into the season when he explained his choice to decline a max extension offer from the Kings, he wants this group to truly become a contender instead of routinely “fighting for a playoff spot.” It’s admittedly early, but the Kings now find themselves in ninth place in the West (7-6) while continuing to be without super sixth man Malik Monk (ankle).

“I would have loved to get this win,” Fox said afterward. “Obviously. I’d rather us rebound in the fourth and win the game there and not even get to 60. So obviously I’d like to win. But at the end of the day, that type of performance, that type of performance, is nothing to just take a breather and let it go. It’s definitely cool, but obviously I wanted the win.”

Indeed, that is the theme of this season for Fox. Individual performance only means so much without team success, and he has decided to be direct and transparent in his decision to spread this message to everyone in the organization who is helping with the common goal. It’s been two years since they broke the franchise’s historic playoff drought and a season since a loss to New Orleans in the Play-In game cost them a second straight playoff berth.

It’s time for this group to take the next step.

But these are the games they simply have to find a way to win. And the fact that they couldn’t get it done with Fox making that kind of show means that there’s still a familiar problem.

According to Stathead.comit was just the 26th time in league history that a player scored 60-plus and lost (regular season and playoffs). But four of those times have come in the last calendar year, with the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson the last to do so (61 points on March 29 in an overtime loss at San Antonio), ahead of Golden State’s Steph Curry (60 points in a overtime loss at Atlanta on Feb. 3), Suns star Booker (62 in a loss at Indiana on Jan. 26) and then-Minnesota Timberwolves big man Towns (62 points) in a loss at Charlotte on Jan. 22).

They all know how Fox must have felt after falling short. And Edwards, who raved about Fox afterward, was ecstatic that he helped provide the mixed feelings.

“I’ve been a fan of his for a long time,” Edwards said on the telecast. “I mean, just watching him, I always felt like he was underrated, underrated by everybody. And he showed today who he is. To me, he’s one of the best point guards in the league, and he showed that, man. He scored on me a bunch of times, so that’s what you love about the game – the best two players on the court.” — Sam Amick, Senior NBA Writer

Required reading

(Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)