The Sacramento Kings dodged a bullet this week. Point guard De’Aaron Fox has been cleared to play against the Orlando Magic on Saturday after suffering a knee injury this week.
Fox suffered the injury during Wednesday’s win at Charlotte. He tried to draw a charge on Hornets center Nick Richards when their knees collided in the second quarter. Fox left the game and never returned; He then missed the next game in Miami. An MRI showed a fracture but no structural damage.
Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox (knee) has been cleared to play and will be ready for today’s game against the Orlando Magic, according to a league source.
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) November 5, 2022
According to Kings beat writer Jason Alexander, Fox was a full participant in practice on Friday. He started the day listed as questionable for Saturday’s game.
Before the injury, Fox was already putting together an All-Star-caliber season. He averaged 24.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists in six games. He’s hitting 63.9% true shooting, a career high.
Fox has recently won four consecutive 50%+ shooting games. On October 22, Fox scored 36 on a 65% field goal percentage against the Los Angeles Clippers. He shot three for five from the three-point line. He followed up with a 26-point, 10-assist effort against the Golden State Warriors, shooting 55% from the field. The last game of the stretch came against Memphis, where he had 27 points on nearly 58% shooting.
The 2-5 Kings will face the 2-7 Magic at 5 p.m. It’s unclear if head coach Mike Brown will serve a minute suspension for Fox. But the Kings appear to be returning their leader to De’Aaron Fox.
