MEMPHIS, Tenn. _ Ninety minutes before tipoff, Kings coach Luke Walton said De'Aaron Fox's status for Friday night's game against the Memphis Grizzlies would be a game-time decision.
When Fox came off the floor following a rigorous warm-up routine 45 minutes later, he said the decision had been made.
"I'm not 100 percent, but I can play," Fox said. "I feel like I can go, so I'm playing."
Fox missed Thursday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to lower abdominal tightness, but he wasn't going to miss this. Fox scored 25 points and made big baskets in the final minutes, helping the Kings gain ground in the Western Conference playoff race with a 104-101 victory over the Grizzlies at FedExForum.
Harry Giles III scored 16 points for the Kings (25-34), who now trail the Grizzlies by three games for the eighth seed in the West. Nemanja Bjelica recorded a double-double, posting 13 points and 11 rebounds. Buddy Hield scored 14 points, including two clutch free throws in the final seconds.
Dillon Brooks scored 32 points for the Grizzlies (28-31). Ja Morant had 20 points and 11 assists. Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and 25 rebounds.
The Kings made just 5 of 24 from the field and 2 of 11 from 3-point range to start the game. The Grizzlies raced out to an early double-digit lead and went up 28-16 on a basket by Brooks late in the first quarter.
Sacramento cut the deficit to two early in the second period and took a 44-43 lead on a free throw by Harrison Barnes with 2:07 to play in the half.
The Kings carried a 50-47 advantage into the halftime break. They staged a 9-2 run to take a 63-54 lead on a 3-pointer by Fox and extended their lead to 11 on another basket by Fox 16 seconds later, prompting Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins to call a timeout.
The Grizzlies made a run to get within four late in the third quarter, but the Kings dialed up the defensive intensity and quickly reestablished a double-digit lead early in the fourth. Tempers flared after Memphis made another charge to get within four on a basket by Valanciunas with 5:31 remaining. Giles and Valanciunas got tangled up under the basket on the play and had to be separated after they went nose to nose, drawing double technical fouls.
The Kings were clinging to a six-point lead when Fox drilled a step-back 3-pointer from the top of the arc with 2:48 to play, but the Grizzlies still wouldn't go away. They cut the deficit to one on a three-point play by Morant. Hield pushed the lead back to three with two free throws before Tyus Jones missed a 3-pointer as time expired.
