De'Aaron Fox scores 60 in thrilling OT loss vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Sacramento Kings star De’Aaron Fox scored 60 points in a losing 130-126 overtime effort to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday in NBA Cup group-play.

Fox’s 60 points breaks a franchise record that was previously held by Jack Twyman, who scored 59 on Jan. 15, 1960, against the Minneapolis Lakers. Unlike Fox, Twyman came out on the winning end for the team then known as the Cincinnati Royals.

Fox, 26, made 22-of-35 shots along with six 3-pointers. He added seven assists, three rebounds and three steals.

60 POINTS. pic.twitter.com/L9fPdL3a6w

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 16, 2024

At one point, Minnesota led by 20 points after opening the third quarter on a 12-0 run. But Fox picked apart the Wolves all night and sent the game into OT on a floater with 38 seconds left in regulation. He scored 14 points as the Kings went on a 19-2 run in the fourth quarter.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards put a dent in Fox’s big night after hitting a deep dagger corner two-pointer to put Minnesota up four in OT.

Edwards scored a team-high 36 points and either scored or assisted on 13 of Minnesota’s 15 points in OT.

“CASH MONEY” 💰

Anthony Edwards is COLD 🥶 pic.twitter.com/BAWgxut4I5

— NBA TV (@NBATV) November 16, 2024

Fox’s scoring outburst comes two days after Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 59 points and Victor Wembanyama scored 50. Last season, four of the top five highest-scoring games came within four days of each other. On Jan. 22, Joel Embiid hit 70 points while Karl-Anthony Towns scored 62. Luka Dončić and Devin Booker then racked up 73 and 62 points, respectively, on Jan. 26.

Edwards saves the day

The Timberwolves came into this game reeling with three straight losses to some lackluster opponents. They fell to Miami at home without Jimmy Butler, then dropped two straight in Portland when the Blazers were without Anfernee Simons and Deandre Ayton. The Western Conference finalists haven’t looked like the same team from last year, but they were up 20 in the third quarter before giving it all back in the fourth. Had they dropped this one, it would have been a disaster.

They needed their superstar, and boy did they get it in overtime. Edwards hit a 3, got a rare stop on Fox and a pretty reverse layup before delivering the dagger on a contested, long 2-point jumper in the closing seconds. The Wolves were in need of rescuing after their meltdown and their best player put them on his back in a “We’re not going to lose this one” performance to snap the three-game skid. There are very few players in the league capable of doing what Edwards did in those final five minutes, and he delivered in a critical spot. — Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer

Defense still an issue

The win was a relief for Minnesota, but the nail-biting nature shows just how much work the Timberwolves have left to do before they can be considered one of the better teams in the West. Last season, the Wolves had the No. 1 defense in the league by a wide margin, which fueled a 56-win season and their first playoff series wins in 20 years. But the defense has not been nearly as sharp this season, and Fox was the latest to blow a hole through it.

Principally, Jaden McDaniels has not been anywhere close to the perimeter defender he was last season, when he was recognized as one of the best in the league. Fox was on a heater, for sure, but McDaniels was powerless against him, getting cooked left and right all game long. That is not supposed to happen for such a proud defender, but it’s been a common occurrence this season. If the Wolves are going to find a groove, they have to get McDaniels guarding with the tenacity he had last season.

The same goes for Edwards. He was inattentive at best on defense for much of the game, and a liability on several occasions. At one point in the third quarter, coach Chris Finch called a timeout after Edwards left his man wide open on two straight possessions. Edwards is viewed as one of the best two-way players in the league, but the elite on-ball defense he’s shown in the past has been few and far between this season. He showed up when it mattered most, but there will be plenty of film of blown assignments when they look back at it tomorrow. — Krawczynski

Minnesota spoils Fox’s historic night

As Fox left the court after the game, stopping at midcourt to exchange pleasantries with Edwards on his way out, it was impossible not to wonder what he must have been thinking. Here he was making franchise history, passing DeMarcus Cousins’ Sacramento-era record of 56 points in the fourth quarter and Twyman’s all-time mark of 59 in overtime, but having to head home with a loss for the third time in the last five tries.

There was plenty of blame to go around. Young forward Keegan Murray missed nine of 15 shots and five of seven 3s, including a wide-open, air-balled long-range attempt with 1:28 left in overtime that would have tied it at 126-126. Shooting guard Kevin Huerter was just two of seven from the field, missing all three of his 3-point attempts, and a minus-21 overall. Center Alex Len, who started alongside Domantas Sabonis because of DeMar DeRozan’s absence, was a minus-14 in just nine minutes of action.

As Fox made clear heading into the season, when he explained his choice to decline a max extension offer from the Kings, he wants this group to truly become a contender rather than routinely “fighting for a playoff spot.” It’s early, to be sure, but the Kings now find themselves in ninth place in the West (7-6) while continuing to be without super Sixth Man Malik Monk (ankle).

“I would have loved to get this win,” Fox said afterward. “Obviously. I would have rather us get the rebound in the fourth and won the game there, and not even have gotten to 60. So of course, I wanted to get the win. But at the end of the day, that type of performance, that type of accomplishment, is nothing to just breathe over and let it go. It’s definitely cool, but obviously I definitely wanted to get the win.”

In truth, that’s the theme of this season for Fox. The individual performances only matter so much without team success, and he has decided to be direct and transparent in his decision to spread this message to everyone within the organization who plays a part in assisting with that shared goal. It has been two years since they broke the franchise’s historic playoff drought, and one season since a loss to New Orleans in the Play-In game cost them a second consecutive playoff berth.

It’s time for this group to take that next step.

But these are the games they simply must find a way to win. And the fact that they couldn’t get it done with Fox putting on that kind of a show means a familiar problem remains.

According to Stathead.com, it was only the 26th time in league history that a player scored 60-plus and lost (regular season and playoffs). But four of those times have come in the last calendar year, with the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson the last to do it (61 points on March 29 in an overtime loss at San Antonio), preceded by Golden State’s Steph Curry (60 points in an overtime loss at Atlanta on Feb. 3), Suns star Booker (62 in a loss at Indiana on Jan. 26) and then-Minnesota Timberwolves big man Towns (62 points in a loss to Charlotte on Jan. 22).

They all know what Fox must have been feeling after falling short. And Edwards, who raved about Fox afterward, was ecstatic that he helped provide those mixed emotions.

“I’ve been a fan of his for a long time,” Edwards said on the telecast. “I mean, just watching him, I always felt like he was underrated, underappreciated by everybody. And he showed today who he is. To me, he’s one of the best point guards in the league, and he showed it, man. I was guarding him. He scored on me a whole bunch of times. I got a couple stops, so that’s what you love about the game — the best two players on the court going at each other. That was fun.” — Sam Amick, senior NBA writer