Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) takes a jump shot over the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickiel Alexander Walker (9) in first half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Fri Nov 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Friday night in Sacramento. The Kings came into the game with a record of 7-5 on the season. The Kings had won two of their last three games. The Kings welcomed the Minnesota Timberwolves to Golden 1 Center on Friday night.

Contrary to the Kings, the Timberwolves had lost the last three games they played. The Wolves would be looking to get on track, and the Kings would be looking to improve on a solid start to the homestand. Tip-off was set for 7 PM PST. The Kings lost to the Timberwolves 130-126.

In the first quarter, the Kings’ offense looked out of sorts. However, that was entirely predictable. The Kings were playing on Friday without DeMar DeRozan and Malik Monk, who were both injured. On the other hand, the mostly healthy Timberwolves were on a mission to snap their skid.

The Wolves outscored the Kings 32-27 in the first. De’Aaron Fox started red hot for the Kings with nine in the quarter. Anthony Edwards matched the energy with eight points.

In the second quarter, the Kings continued to struggle. The Kings’ offense didn’t have good spacing and flow in the first half. Granted, the Wolves were shooting well. Fox was really the only reason the Kings stayed in the game in the first half. He finished the half with 21 points.

The Kings were outscored 30-27 in the second quarter as they trailed 62-54 going into halftime. Edwards led the Wolves with 13 points. The Kings would need to tighten the defense and get a contribution from someone not named Fox in the second half to have a chance.

In the third quarter, it was more of the same uninspiring basketball from the Kings. There’s not much else to say. The Kings were outscored 36-28 in the third quarter to dig themselves into a 98-82 hole going into the fourth quarter. Could they make a run?

In the fourth quarter, Fox went absolutely insane. Fox scored 20 points in the fourth quarter to bring the Kings all the way back to a tie game as time expired. The Kings came back to tie the game 115-115 going into overtime.

In overtime, Fox continued to impress, but it wasn’t enough. Fox scored six points in overtime, but the Kings were outscored 15-11 to lose the game 130-126. Edwards had seven overtime points to seal the deal for the Timberwolves. The Kings were led by Fox with 60 points in defeat. The Timberwolves were led by Anthony Edwards, who scored 36. The 60 points from Fox was a career high and franchise record.

Up Next: The Kings stay home to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night at 7 PM PST. The Kings will be on the second night of a back-to-back.