NBA Game of the Day: Atlanta Hawks vs. Sacramento Kings

De’Aaron Fox is lighting up the scoreboard: Fox’s scoring average has skyrocketed to 28.9 points per game in the current 2024-25 season. What’s been the secret to his success? Scoring a whopping 109 points over two games definitely plays a big part. Fox had a sensational performance with 60 points in a thrilling overtime defeat against Minnesota on Friday, followed by a stellar 49-point display in a victory over the Jazz the next night. Can Fox maintain his scoring streak and reach 40 points for a third consecutive game?

The rise of Dyson Daniels:

When you have 44 steals in 12 games, you turn heads (and also probably draw the assignment of shadowing Fox on the court). That is what Daniels has done in his first season with the Hawks. However, he’s also chipped in some scoring, which was previously not a strong suit. Daniels also recently put up 20-point games against the Celtics and the Wizards.

An important opportunity for both teams:

The Kings sit at 8-6, while the Hawks fell to 6-8 after a tough loss Sunday in Portland. Sitting around .500 isn’t bad early in the season, but to make the Play-In, winning games like this is important. The stakes may not be sky-high just yet, but this one is a game both teams see as winnable.

Will the Kings be short-handed? Sacramento will be without star forward DeMar DeRozan (lower back) for the second game in a row but will have big man Domantas Sabonis back in the lineup after missing the last contest against Utah. These two are the only Kings players, aside from Fox, averaging over 20 points per game. While Fox has proven he can score in bunches, he’ll gladly welcome the help if one or both of his teammates return.

Trae Young has the potential for a big game: When talking about players who can score 40, it’s hard to ignore Young. While he hasn’t topped 38 points this season, he has scored at least 35 three times. Last season, he dropped 40 points in four games, and he could be poised to do it again. It’s possible we could see Fox and Young exchanging buckets all night.