"Curry brand effect": De'Aaron Fox puts in heroic effort against Lakers as he cooks LeBron James and crew for 37 points

De'Aaron Fox put on a show in leading the Sacramento Kings to a 132-127 win over the LA Lakers. “Swipa” had a blistering first half, exploding for 21 points before finishing with 37 markers for the night. He scored eight points in the last six minutes of regulation despite battling a sprained ankle. Fox could have arguably scored more had Kings coach Mike Brown not taken him out due to the injury.

Fans promptly reacted to the All-Star guard’s impressive performance. The Kings might not have even forced overtime had it not been for Fox’s clutch shooting amid the injury:

“curry brand effect”

A few days ago, De'Aaron Fox signed with Under Armour and became the Curry Brand’s first signature athlete. Fox will reportedly get his line of shoes in 2024 and will oversee the company’s basketball grassroots program.

Fox was exceptional against the LA Lakers. Even when Domantas Sabonis fouled out with plenty of time left, the Sacramento Kings continued to battle. They had a point guard who wanted to carry his team despite limping through an injury.

“Swipa” hit 14-24 shots and caused the Lakers problems all game long. When he wasn’t scoring, he was setting up the plays and found open teammates. He added eight assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block to his totals.

20 years ago, LeBron James made his NBA debut against the Sacramento Kings. For most of the night, though, De'Aaron Fox was the star of the night.

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De'Aaron Fox could be sidelined in the next couple of games

It’s early in the season and teams want their superstars to be healthy. The Sacramento Kings could sideline De'Aaron Fox for at least a couple of games to heal his ankle. Some teams have already rested their superstars in the second game of a back-to-back. Fox’s injured ankle will be more than enough reason for the Kings to keep him out of action.

The last time Fox had an ankle injury was in April. Sacramento, even with playoff seeding on the line, chose to sideline him. They are likely to do that early in the team’s campaign.

Without Fox on the roster, Kings coach Mike Brown could turn to Davion Mitchell and the newly acquired Chris Duarte to run the plays. Malik Monk had an outstanding performance tonight against the LA Lakers while playing point guard. He had 22 points, 11 of which were killers in overtime against his former team.

For a full game, however, Brown could use Mitchell and Duarte to run the plays. Mitchell has had experience quarterbacking the team over the last two years. Duarte was also often used as a playmaker by the Indiana Pacers before he arrived in Sacramento.