Eight seconds left in the game, and it’s a one point ball game. Bogdan Bogdanovic drives to his right, takes a tough fade-away jumper, and it rattles out of the basket. It looks like the game is over, but De’Aaron Fox comes soaring over two defenders to grab the ball and throw down the go-ahead put back slam.
One quick defensive stop later, and the Sacramento Kings won their first game over the Miami Heat in Miami for the first time since 2001. Fox’s emphatic game-winner was part of a Sacramento 17-4 run to close out the final six minutes of the 89-88 victory.
On top of his last shot, Fox had a stellar second half and finished the contest with 14 points and four assists. This marks the second time during his rookie campaign that Fox has hit a game-winning shot. The first came back in November when he hit a mid-range jumper with 14 seconds left to sink the Philadelphia 76ers.
For Fox, however, his key contribution didn’t come through his last shot but his defense on Heat star Goran Dragic. The Miami point guard gave Fox all sorts of trouble in the first half, but the rookie out of Kentucky clamped down on him in the second half and got a key steal towards the end of the fourth quarter.
“I got that steal, I feel like I got him,” Fox said (via the Sacramento Bee). “He’s a really good veteran point guard, extremely smooth lefty and I’ve been watching him for years. For myself it was fun and it was a great experience playing him for the first time.”
Buddy Hield, who was recently selected to the All-Star weekend Rising Stars Challenge along with Bogdanovic, played a big game for the Kings coming off the bench. He had 24 points on just 15 shots and drained four of seven from behind the arc.
The Heat had strong games from guards Dragic and Wayne Ellington, who combined for 43 points. However, Miami struggled from the field and shot just 38 percent.
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Outside of a lull during parts of third quarter and the beginning of the fourth quarter, Sacramento had a very solid overall game to secure its second straight win. The Kings shot 47 percent from the field and had 17 assists to 13 turnovers. Miami, however, was allowed to stay in the game because they made seven more three-pointers than Sacramento.
Randolph had 10 points and gobbled up 10 rebounds, while Bogdanovic added 11 points. Sacramento now has a record of 15-33 and continues its road trip in San Antonio against the Spurs on Sunday.
