De’Aaron Fox led the Sacramento Kings to their first win of the season with a 111-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, scoring 24 points and hitting the 10,000 career points milestone. Fox became the fifth player in Kings franchise history to reach that mark, achieving it with a three-pointer in the third quarter as the Kings pulled away from a tight 60-58 lead to go up by 26 points in the fourth quarter.
DeMar DeRozan contributed 23 points, including 19 in the first half, where he sank 9 of 10 free throws and closed the half with a buzzer-beater jumper to give Sacramento a 51-43 advantage. Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Kevin Huerter added 18 points.
For the Trail Blazers, DeAndre Ayton put up 20 points and 11 rebounds, continuing his strong start with a fourth consecutive double-double, a feat previously achieved for Portland only by Bill Walton. Despite Ayton’s efforts, the Blazers struggled to keep pace with the Kings, who shot 92% from the free-throw line, converting 23 of 25 attempts.