Watch: De'Aaron Fox goes nuclear as he elevates for monster one-handed slam
The Sacramento Kings are giving it their best shot to keep their NBA In-Season Tournament undefeated record against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and De'Aaron Fox has been setting the tone. Both teams hold a 2-0 record and much is on the line as the winner will have a prime chance to be the group leader and lock a quarterfinal berth.
With 9:45 to go in the second quarter, the Kings are leading by as much as 13 points, 46-33. De'Aaron Fox was just about to set the next play for his team but noticed that the defense was too slow to settle.
Bursting in speed, he was able to nail the feet of Kyle Anderson by the 3-point elbow and drive by his right to get access to the middle of the court. He saw point guard Mike Conley and feasted on the undersized defender who was in the paint.
Taking off between the free throw line and the rim, Fox went up high, cocked the ball back and finished with a tomahawk dunk with all five Timberwolves defenders looking on. The Kings increased their to 15 points, 48-33.
De'Aaron Fox gets NBA Player of the Week honors (November 13-19)
After missing five consecutive games, De'Aaron Fox returned with a vengeance as he averaged 32.3 points, 6.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds from Nov. 13 to 19 to earn the NBA Player of the Week honors. The Sacramento Kings won all of their four games that week, including matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
In that week, he hit his season-high of 43 points along with eight rebounds and seven assists against the San Antonio Spurs. The stellar week was capped off with a 30-point performance and a win over Luka Doncic's Dallas Mavericks.
As Fox brings the tempo to the team, it is up to his teammates to follow through, especially on the defensive end. Against Luka Doncic, the Kings had a good strategy that Fox bared:
"You just try to make it as difficult for them as possible and also try to make them work on the other end. Because if they're not working on the defensive end, and they're also coming down on the offensive end and doing whatever they want to do, it’s going to be an extremely long night."
However, the Sacramento Kings entered the matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on the back of consecutive losses since winning against the Mavs.