DeAaron Fox

Fox gives son ‘great gift' in Kings' close win over Bulls

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Kings star De'Aaron Fox had more than one reason to celebrate after Sacramento pulled out a 123-115 win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at United Center.

The point guard's son, Reign, sat courtside with Fox's family for the Kings' hard-fought victory, and watched his dad pour in 41 points on his first birthday.

After the win, Fox told NBC Sports California's Morgan Ragan and Deuce Mason on "Kings Postgame Live" just how special his big night was thanks to some extra motivation from the now 1-year-old Reign.

"Definitely [gave me extra motivation] just being on the road, being able to see my family here," Fox told Ragan and Mason, noting they got the tickets for free through a family friend. "It definitely was a great gift for Reign, for sure."

Fox shot 13 of 24 from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range Saturday, also making 10 of his 12 free-throw attempts on the night. He grabbed four boards and dished two assists as well in the effort, finishing a plus-5 in plus/minus rating.

Everything was working for Fox, and it ended up helping Sacramento get the win despite nearly blowing a double-digit lead over Chicago in the fourth quarter. He even walked off the court with five steals after recording six against the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

"Just trying to stay locked in as long as possible," Fox told Ragan and Mason of his steals. "Obviously we always talk about what we're doing on the defensive end, and there are stretches where we look like an elite defensive team, and there are stretches where we look like a bottom five defensive team. ...

"If I'm able to get deflections, get steals get my team more opportunities, that's what I do."

Fox created -- and executed on -- many opportunities for the Kings on Saturday, and he combined with his Kentucky brethren Trey Lyles (16) and Malik Monk (22) for a whopping 79 points against the Bulls. After the game, Monk told reporters he believed Reign's birthday lit a fire under Fox.

"He definitely had something in him, man," Monk said of Fox's performance for Reign, before capping things off in his usual comedic fashion ahead of his 26th birthday on Sunday. "I'm glad he did that on his son's birthday. About to go celebrate mine now, though."

The Kings have seen potential wins slip through their fingers after blowing leads this season like the one they did Saturday -- but this time around, they held off the Bulls long enough to scrape out a victory.

And while birthdays certainly are fun to celebrate, Sacramento hopes more wins moving forward can get them back into the playoffs and produce even more accomplishments to cheer about.

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