Kings' De'Aaron Fox reveals what it's like to defend Steph Curry
De'Aaron Fox scored 38 points in the Sacramento Kings' 126-123 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the first round. But the point guard said his offensive feat wasn't nearly as hard as his job on the other end of the court: guarding Steph Curry.
"Did y'all see that clip of J.R. Smith talking about [Matthew Dellavedova "almost dying" while guarding Curry in the 2015 NBA Finals]? That s— is real," Fox said postgame.
Fox felt Dellavedova's pain Saturday night, as he was in charge of guarding the two-time MVP in the first and fourth quarter. In 37 minutes of play, Curry dropped 30 points and six three-pointers while shooting 55% from the field.
Curry is a feared matchup for not only his unlimited range and skilled dribbling, but also his constant off-ball movement. Even at 35 years old, he seemingly never gets tired or fatigued.
Fox will have his hands full with Curry the rest of the series, but the 25-year-old is up for the challenge and looks to improve his defensive game.
"Scoring 38 points is cool, but just trying to be as disruptive as possible while guarding the best player ever, jump shot wise, to shoot a basketball. Guy is probably one of the craftiest players to ever touch the ball," Fox said.
"To be able to be disruptive, for me, I think is the biggest step. I don't care to prove to anybody else, but I want to prove myself that I can go out there and just try to hound some of the best guards in the league."
Fox and the Kings will host Curry's Warriors for Game 2 on Monday at 10 p.m.
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