De'Aaron Fox's return powers the Kings to a 132-120 win over the Cavs as Mike Brown earns his 400th win

De'Aaron Fox had 28 points and six assists in his return from an ankle injury, and the Sacramento Kings beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 132-120 on Monday night to give coach Mike Brown his 400th career victory.

Domantas Sabonis added 23 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds while Keegan Murray had a season-high 25 points with five 3-pointers.

Despite going scoreless in the first quarter, Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 22 points. Caris LeVert had 21 points, while Max Strus had 19.

Sacramento had six players in double figures, but the night belonged to Fox, who was repeatedly greeted in the second half with "MVP! MVP!" chants.

Fox made an immediate impact in his return, scoring the game's first points on a driving layup 11 seconds in. Fox, who was a first-time All-Star last season, later scored on a reverse and sank a 3-pointer to help the Kings take a 33-25 lead.

“It felt good just to be able to go out there and contribute,” said Fox, who tested his ankle during practice and shootaround this week. “When I got up today and wasn’t sore, I felt I was good to go.

Fox came out strong again in the second quarter, then went cold late before providing another spark to Sacramento's offense in the third quarter. He had eight points, including an emphatic one-handed dunk off a Malik Monk bounce pass in the key.

“His play and our play is going to start getting him the recognition he deserves,” Brown said of Fox. “The crazy part is he’s just scratched the surface of who he can be. When he gets there, look out.”

Brown improved his coaching record to 400-254 after leading the Kings to the 2023 playoffs in his first season with the team. Brown had previously coached Cleveland from 2005 to 2010, as well as in the 2013-14 season, so the historic win came against one of his former teams.

“You feel all of the emotions: Fortunate, blessed, lucky,” Brown said, thanking the Cavs, Lakers, and several of his former players. “It has a lot to do with the people all around me.

SportsLigue