Two disturbing losses later, there was finally some retribution. The Sacramento Kings shot the popular beam into the sky, winning their first game of the season against the Portland Trail Blazers. Mike Brown gave himself a pat for improving on his end from the loss to the Timberwolves. “To get these guys at a decent number of minutes in tonight’s game is very pleasing,” he said in the press conference. However, it was a celebratory night for the franchise’s long-serving anchor, De’Aaron Fox.

While playing, Fox wasn’t even aware he was inching closer to a career milestone. The 26-year-old pacy point guard became the fifth player in the franchise’s history to surpass 10,000 points. He only realized when the LED scoreboard displayed his name. However, someone special might have been keeping track.

In attendance was his wife Recee Fox, and she was awaiting the moment he would notch up the milestone. When the moment did come during the third quarter, Recee understandably had to celebrate her husband’s incredible feat. She proudly took to her Instagram stories to commemorate the moment. “Go baby go,” she wrote.

De’Aaron Fox only got time to reflect on it after the game, and the moment caught him by surprise. “I forgot that I was actually close,” he admitted at the press conference. In expanding, he spoke about the gratitude he has for having been able to play in the league for as long and that “being able to put the ball in the basket that many times is surely a blessing.”

However, while the night will remember his scoring, the locker room appreciated Fox for his tremendous effort on the other side of the court.

A night of crowning for De’Aaron Fox

Fox had a vibrant performance against the young Portland side. His 24 points was a game-high and he also did a great job at being a secondary playmaker behind Sabonis. However, a job he took fiercely after losses in the first two games was to become a defensive hound. “I think it all starts on the defensive end for us,” he said after the win.

In their first victory, Brown and the entire coaching staff recognized his efforts. As per tradition, they handed him the crown as the ‘Defensive Player of The Game’. His defensive rating of 94.3 was among the best for the Kings. His job wasn’t to be an anchor but to engage using his explosiveness and speed.

He held Scoot Henderson, a focal playmaker to 1-6 shooting while also forcing two turnovers during those possessions. Only newcomer DeMar DeRozan compiled a better differential on the court than Fox, who recorded a +13 in over 35 minutes against Portland. With the win, Fox understood how making an effort as an incessant pressurizer could set the tone for the Kings.

“I think big thing for us is defense. Obviously whenever we are getting defense we look like a whole different team,” he admitted. With alarming focus given toward the other side of the ball, the Kings held their opponents to under 100 points. In the previous two matchups, both the Wolves and Lakers surpassed 110.

With the way Brown managed to spread time around his rotations and the team taking a decisive stance to pin together multiple stops, the Kings are a team that can run fluently and with grace. If they continue to stitch together such performances, do you seethe Kings being a top Western Conference side? Let us know your views in the comments below.