Sacramento Kings All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox is in danger of missing Game 5 of his team’s first-round series against the Golden State Warriors.
BREAKING: De'Aaron Fox has suffered a fractured index finger in his left shooting hand and is doubtful to play in Game 5 vs. Warriors, per @ShamsCharania.
— Ahn Fire Digital (@AhnFireDigital) April 24, 2023
Fox is believed to have fractured the index finger on his left hand late in Game 4 of the series.
The Kings All-Star guard is believed to have sustained the injury midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Game 3 and played through it. Fox had 38 points, nine rebounds and five assists on Sunday. https://t.co/41yWneUTWo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 24, 2023
There’s apparently still some hope that he will try to play in Game 5.
Kings guard De'Aaron Fox fractured the very tip of his left index finger in Game 4, but there's still hope he will try and play Game 5 on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN. Fox would need to play with a protective covering on the finger. He will be listed as doubtful.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 24, 2023
The University of Kentucky product played through the injury and went on to record 38 points, nine rebounds, five assists and one steal in 40 minutes of playing time.
Sacramento and Golden State are now tied at two games apiece after Sunday’s thrilling contest. The Warriors have been phenomenal at home all season long, so it wasn’t all that surprising to see the squad grab two straight victories at Chase Center after dropping the first two games of the series.
Game 5 will take place on Wednesday night, so Fox has some time to try to get accustomed to shooting the ball with a fractured index finger.
The former first-round pick led the Kings to a fantastic 2022-23 regular season, averaging 25.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game on 51.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Through the four playoff contests against the Warriors, Fox is recording 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game on 44.7 percent shooting from the field and 34.2 percent shooting from 3-point range.
If Fox were to miss Game 5, it would undoubtedly be a huge loss for the Kings. The postseason lights haven’t been too bright for the 25-year-old as he continues to come into his own as a star in the league.
Should Fox be unable to play through the injury, it stands to reason that second-year point guard Davion Mitchell would take his place in the starting lineup.
Mitchell has spent plenty of time guarding Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry throughout the series, though Curry has gone 10-for-20 from the field while matched up against him.
Curry has fared slightly worse in the series when going up against Fox.
During the regular season, the Kings went 4-5 without Fox. Interestingly enough, one of those losses came against the Warriors. However, Sacramento was without multiple starters in that contest.
Warriors and Kings fans will monitor Fox’s status very closely over the next couple of days.
