De'Aaron Fox's Harsh Statement Before Kings vs Warriors

The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors battled hard in a seven-game series in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, forming a new-found NorCal rivalry.

While the Warriors bested the Kings in the playoffs to send them packing, Sacramento got their sweet revenge the following year. In a win-or-go-home situation in last season's play-in tournament, the Kings beat the Warriors to end their season.

The Kings have beaten the Warriors in four consecutive meetings, the last two being by an average margin of 27 points.

The two Pacific teams are set to meet again on Wednesday in Sacramento, but there are already some shots being taken ahead of the highly-anticipated matchup.

Apr 16, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) shoots over Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) in the first quarter during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

After Tuesday's practice, Kings star point guard De'Aaron Fox looked ahead to Wednesday's matchup but was confused when asked about Golden State's success.

"What the Warriors have been doing?" Fox asked. "I mean, they haven't been playing well, so kick them while they're down."

De'Aaron Fox says his Kings need to "kick em' while their down" in the upcoming matchup with the struggling Warriors, the dangers of facing a team that was just blown out, the hot perimeter shooting from Domantas Sabonis & playing with his injured finger. pic.twitter.com/tzU2l9BrAY
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) January 21, 2025

Fox's very blunt statement sounds a bit harsher than most fans are used to hearing from him off the court, but the star guard dives deeper into what he meant.

"Obviously you don't want to be that team that lets a team right their wrongs," Fox said. "We have to go in and obviously continue to play the way we play them. But, like I said, in this league you gotta be able to kick teams while they're down."

The Warriors are certainly down this season, falling to 21-21 despite their blazing-hot 12-3 start to the year. Losing 18 of their last 27 games is certainly not what anyone expected, as the Kings cannot let them find their rhythm in Wednesday's rivalry matchup.

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