“It was god-awful. Mine wasn’t even about me getting [to the line] or anything like that. It was calls they were getting on the other end. If you’re going to call something on one end, call it on the other end. And when someone tries to talk to you, you can’t get into your feelings so quick.”
That was Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, frustrated after Utah got to the line 35 times in a win over Sacramento, who shot just 22 free throws. Donovan Mitchell, a long-time friend of Fox, pulled the Kings’ guard away saying he was trying to avoid his friend getting fined.
Didn’t work. Monday Fox was fined $20,000 by the NBA for “public criticism of the officiating.”
Part of what is driving Fox’s frustration is the Kings have dropped six in a row and are now three games back of the Warriors for the West’s final play-in spot.