Fox's late scoring surge pushes Kings past Heat 115-113

Updated Jan. 2, 2022 8:35 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — De’Aaron Fox scored 11 of his 24 points over the final six minutes, including two free throws with 6.2 seconds left and the game tied, and the Sacramento Kings ended the Miami Heat’s five-game winning streak with a 115-113 victory on Sunday.

Buddy Hield added 26 points for Sacramento. Damian Jones had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Davion Mitchell scored 12 points.

Tyler Herro and Omer Yurtseven had 22 points apiece for the Heat. Kyle Lowry added 14 points and 12 assists.

After Hield made a 3-pointer to tie it at 99, Miami briefly regained the lead before Fox helped the Kings close out strong. The Kings point guard connected on back-to-back floaters, then made seven consecutive free throws down the stretch. His last two came after Jimmy Butler’s jumper had tied it at 113.

Fox finished 14 of 15 on free throws.

The Kings closed the third quarter on a 10-3 run to tie the game heading into the fourth.

FAMILIAR FACES

The Heat’s ever-changing roster included a pair of former Kings draft picks on 10-day contracts, Nik Stauskas and Kyle Guy. Stauskas, the eighth player taken overall in 2014, had five points in 13 minutes He spent one season with Sacramento before being traded to Philadelphia and also had stints in Brooklyn, Portland and Cleveland. Guy, a Kings second-round pick in 2019, had seven points and four assists.

TIP-INS

Heat: Butler scored 21. … Yurtseven has had 10 or more rebounds in eight consecutive games. .. Erik Spoelstra was given a technical foul in the second quarter. … Miami’s list of missing players remains long. It includes Bam Adebayo (right thumb) along with Marcus Garrett, Udonis Haslem, Duncan Robinson and Max Strus, all four of whom are in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

Kings: Tyrese Haliburton had 12 assists. … Richaun Holmes has been entered into the health and safety protocols.

UP NEXT

Heat: Face the Warriors in San Francisco on Monday. Miami has won four of the last five against Golden State.

Kings: Play the Lakers in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The teams split a pair of games in November.

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