Despite their thrilling overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, the Sacramento Kings will be quite upset regarding what went down in the game because their star player, De’Aaron Fox, suffered a “moderate” injury to his right ankle during the game and is likely to miss some time, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
In the fourth quarter of the Kings’ 132-127 victory, Fox was attacking the hoop in transition when he injured his ankle. He stomped on Lakers guard Gabe Vincent’s foot as he planted his foot to rise for a layup, and he went to the floor. Even though he was screaming in agony and grasping at his ankle as the game went on, he was still able to play the final seven minutes of regulation time and overtime.
De’Aaron Fox and the Kings outlast the Lakers in OT 😤 pic.twitter.com/B8lZseidcM
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 30, 2023
Fox left the game, but he came back in under a minute. He continued to play until 13 seconds remained in regulation before being injured and missing all of overtime. Thirteen of Fox’s 37 points in the game came in the fourth quarter. It remains to be seen how long he is sidelined but according to various sources, they remain optimistic about his return.
De’Aaron Fox appeared to injure his ankle on this play pic.twitter.com/LdiryKeh6h
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) October 30, 2023
Sacramento is devastated by the loss of the 25-year-old. His efforts were crucial to the squad finishing third in the Western Conference the previous season. He shot 51.2 percent of the floor and averaged 25.0 points, 6.1 assists, and 51.2 points.
When will De’Aaron Fox return?
Although the 2023 NBA All-Star will probably miss the game against Golden State, sources expressed hope that he could be back in action in a week or two. After the game, an X-ray showed a moderate ankle sprain. In the win, he scored 37 points in the end on 14 of 24 shots.
All-NBA player Marc J. Spears of Andscape said that the player “could be back within a week.” If he returns in about a week, he will probably miss three games. According to Spears’ knowledge, the Kings’ games against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 8 or the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 10 would be a reasonable comeback date.
“He’s tough as nails, man,” Sacramento’s coach Brown said of Fox, who shone in the game with 37 points. “To try to show the grit that he showed and get out there to help us win a ballgame, that just speaks volumes to who he is and how much he wants to lay his body on the line to help his team.”
De’Aaron Fox so far this season:
31.3 PPG
6.0 APG
49% FGAnd leads the league in total isolation points 🔥
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 30, 2023
It remains to be seen how Fox provides a stellar comeback and does not waste too much time on the sidelines. His fans will be rooting for him to come back on the court as soon as possible. He is one of the important stars on the Sacramento Kings’ roster.