It was an emotional night at Golden 1 Center as De’Aaron Fox returned to face the Sacramento Kings as a visiting player for the first time in his career–but the Beam Team didn’t get in their feels on Friday night.
Fox struggled on the offensive end, Zach LaVine put on another shooting clinic, and Sacramento put a 127-109 beatdown on the visiting San Antonio Spurs to keep pace in the neck-and-neck Western Conference postseason race.
LaVine, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, continued to showcase his marksmanship by scoring a game-high 36 points on seven-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc to go along with four rebounds and three assists over 39 minutes.
On a night when Fox’s return was the main headline, the Kings (33-29) kept their heads down and took care of business to put themselves two games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks for the ninth seed in the West and remaining 1.5 games back of the sixth seed.
Zach LaVine floats in a tough shot for the and-1!
He’s up to 31… now his 6th straight 20+ PT game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/nsNmXArUIT
— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2025
Kings vs. Spurs recap & takeaways
After logging 267 career games at Golden 1 Center, De’Aaron Fox played his 268th appearance in a different set of colors.
Fox, who was traded to the Spurs during last month’s NBA trade deadline–not without plenty of behind-the-scenes drama with the Kings organization–made his return to Sacramento on Friday night in front of a packed house.
While San Antonio has fallen further out of the postseason picture without star big Victor Wembanyama (deep vein thrombosis), Fox and his new team looked to play spoiler against his old team as the Kings opened the night just two games behind Golden State for the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
Emotions fueled the start to this one as fans in attendance–cheers and boos–sounded off during pregame introductions when Fox was announced. Once the game started, that mix of cheers and boos turned to mostly boos, but the Spurs didn’t pay them any mind.
Although Fox got off to a slow start, San Antonio jumped out to an early eight-point lead as the Sacramento offense struggled to settle in (31% from the field during the first quarter).
Kings crowd showing love to De’Aaron Fox 💜 pic.twitter.com/QbTl4PaKse
— NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2025
With the Kings searching for answers on their end of the floor, Zach LaVine punched his time card as play entered the second period.
LaVine, who scored just two points during the first quarter, erupted for 16 points in the second while knocking down four of his five attempts from beyond the arc as Sacramento opened the period on a 25-8 run.
San Antonio’s offense went ice cold, while LaVine and Jonas Valanciunas (10 points and eight rebounds during the first half) led the way for a Kings offense that outscored the Spurs 36-16 in the period.
Thanks to Sacramento’s deadline acquisitions, the Kings took control of the game heading into the second half, leading 56-42 as Fox (three-of-ten shooting from the field) struggled out of the gates in his return to Golden 1 Center.
Zach LaBeam is in his bag right now 💼 pic.twitter.com/PonbzbgaVv
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) March 8, 2025
Those in attendance hoping Sacramento’s big second quarter would indicate what was to come were in luck on Friday night because the Kings didn’t waste any time putting the game out of reach before fans settled back into their seats for the second half.
Sacramento mounted a 20-7 run to begin the third quarter, which pushed its lead to 27 points as LaVine continued to put on a show.
LaVine’s ability to self-create was on full display as the multi-time All-Star used his craftiness to get free and knock down looks from the mid-range and perimeter, racking up 26 points by the end of the quarter.
The Kings never looked back, as LaVine refused to let up as ‘Light the beam’ chants echoed around the building with several minutes remaining on the game clock.
Sacramento finished the night shooting 51 percent from the field and 17-of-38 (44%) from beyond the arc, improving to 14-3 (.823) this season when shooting 40 percent or better from downtown.
Fox finished the night with 16 points and eight assists on just six-of-17 shooting from the floor, missing all six of his attempts from three-point land over 33 minutes of action.
The longtime former King joined his former teammates at center court following the game, ending the exchange with a lengthy conversation with Keegan Murry before the beam was lit for the 33rd time this season.
De’Aaron Fox greets his old Kings teammates following the end of tonight’s game, including Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis.
Fox and Keegan Murray had a long chat after the exchanges. pic.twitter.com/3YdYxsS6V8
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) March 8, 2025
Murray had a strong night against Fox, scoring 19 points (7/14 FG), grabbing nine boards, and blocking two shots over 35 minutes.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists during the win, while Keon Ellis scored 10 points and swiped four steals in a starting role as Malik Monk (toe sprain) sat out for a second-straight game.
Through the emotions of Fox’s return, Sacramento showed up in a big way against a sub-.500 team, improving to 8-3 over their past 11 games.
The sprint to the postseason is on, and the Kings have taken care of business against teams they should beat. Now the real test begins as Sacramento will face the Clippers, Knicks, Warriors, and Suns over their next four contests.
JV Steps Up
It’s nearly impossible to fill the shoes of Domantas Sabonis (hamstring strain), but Jonas Valanciunas has been doing his best impression of the All-NBA center during his absence.
One game removed from posting a 19-13-6 stat line against Denver, Valanciunas did it all on Friday night against San Antonio. The veteran center scored 15 points on seven-of-eight shooting from the field to go along with 12 rebounds, six assists, one blocked shot, and two steals over 27 minutes.
Injury Updates
Malik Monk (right toe sprain) missed his second-straight game after suffering the injury on Monday night in Dallas. Monk is considered day-to-day.
Domantas Sabonis (left hamstring strain) will be re-evaluated before Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Sabonis has missed the past three games.
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
Sacramento will play the first leg of a road-home-back-to-back on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Clippers in Southern California.
The Kings have dropped both games against the Clippers this season, making Sunday’s game a crucial one as Sacramento chases Los Angeles in the Western Conference standings with just over one month remaining in the regular season.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 5:00 PM PT on Game Night before action tips off at 6:30 PM PT from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
Sunday, March 9th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 6:30 PM PT
Monday, March 10th – vs. New York Knicks – 7:30 PM PT
Thursday, March 13th – @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, March 14th – @ Phoenix Suns – 7:00 PM PT
Monday, March 17th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 PM PT
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