Here’s what Kings will do if De’Aaron Fox misses Game 5 due to injury vs. Warriors
The Kings will need a collective effort to replace De’Aaron Fox if the All-Star point guard is unable to play in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.
Fox’s status is in doubt after X-rays showed he suffered an avulsion fracture to his right index finger in a 126-125 loss to the Warriors in Game 4 on Sunday at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Kings said Fox will be listed as doubtful for Game 5 with the best-of-seven series tied at 2-2.
If Fox is ruled out, Davion Mitchell will likely move into the starting lineup to continue his dogged pursuit of Warriors star Stephen Curry, but the Kings will need more from Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk and possibly Terence Davis. Fox averaged 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.5 steals over the first four games of the series in his first career playoff appearance.
The Kings went 4-5 without Fox during the regular season. Mitchell started all nine of those games, averaging 9.2 points and 4.0 assists.
Mitchell came off the bench to score 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in Sunday’s loss to the Warriors. He had 14 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals in a Game 2 win over the Warriors in Sacramento while helping his team hold Curry to 9-of-21 shooting.
“(Mitchell) was big time for us tonight,” Fox said after Game 2. “Obviously, we all know what he can do defensively. He hounded Steph most of the game, and then, obviously, what he added to us offensively was huge with the big 3 in the corner. I would say it was like the nail in the coffin. I go against ‘Day’ every day in practice. That’s why y’all see what I do out here (in games) because I don’t have to go against him.”
Kings coach Mike Brown was pleased with Mitchell’s performance as well.
“Davion was good,” Brown said. “You’re not going to stop Steph. Steph is the greatest of the great. You’re not stopping him. You’re not going to slow him down. You’re just trying to make him work. … But I’ve got to give credit to Davion, trying to fight over screens and through screens and all that other stuff. I don’t know if he can do a better job.”
Even Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been impressed with Mitchell’s defense.
“He’s really strong,” Kerr said. “He’s really good on the ball. He’s got good lateral quickness and he’s an older young player. He’s got experience. He’s a national champion (at Baylor). He’s been in big games. He looks very poised out there and Mike has given him a job — go get into Steph every play and make it as hard as you can for him — and it suits his skill set very well.”
Huerter said the Kings are confident in Mitchell’s ability to be disruptive against Curry.
“He’s been huge, obviously, coming off the bench, providing a spark, picking him up full court,” Huerter said. “Davion is tough. He’s one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. Steph is going to get his numbers, but as long as he’s working for it, we’ll take that.”
Monk will also take on additional ballhandling duties if Fox is unable to play. Monk scored 32 points in a Game 1 win over the Warriors. He is averaging 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the series.
The Kings will need to get Huerter going to compensate for the loss of Fox’s scoring. Huerter averaged a career-high 15.2 points while shooting a career-best 40.2% from 3-point range during the regular season. He averaged 9.0 points over the first four games of the playoffs while going 3 of 21 (.143) from beyond the arc.
Earlier in the series, Mitchell said he was embracing the opportunity to compete against the defending NBA champions and one of the game’s all-time greats in Curry.
“I feel good,” Mitchell said. “I think playing a guy like that on this stage is an amazing feeling, especially just to compete against him. We’re all competitors here in this league, so any time you play against the best it’s always fun to me.”
