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SPORTS Thursday 20 april 2023
Clutch like a Fox: Sacramento guard wins new NBA award

By TIM REYNOLDS clutch award; like most oth-
AP Basketball Writer er awards, it is voted on by
It was a tie game in Or- the media panel, but unlike
lando on Nov. 5. De’Aaron other awards the field of
Fox got the ball with about candidates is first narrowed
five seconds left, took four down by polling of NBA
dribbles and let a shot fly coaches.
from just inside of midcourt Fox was one of many ma-
as time expired. jor contributors to a resur-
Swish, for the win. gence in Sacramento this
A clutch moment one of season.
many for the Sacramento The Kings who currently
guard this season. Fox was lead defending champion
announced Tuesday night Golden State 2-0 in a West-
as the inaugural winner of ern Conference first-round
the NBA’s clutch player of series reached the post-
the year award, as select- season for the first time in
ed by a panel of 100 writ- 17 years. Fox is averaging
ers and broadcasters who a team-best 31 points in
cover the league. those two playoff games so
Miami’s Jimmy Butler was far.
second, and Chicago’s And at 48-34, this was Sac-
DeMar DeRozan was third. ramento’s best regular sea-
“You can’t be afraid to son since going 50-32 in
fail,” Fox said on the TNT Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox (5) reacts after making a 3-point basket in the third quarter 2004-05.
during Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA basketball playoffs
broadcast of the an- in Sacramento, Calif., Saturday, April 15, 2023. “My teammates and my
nouncement. “Obviously, Associated Press team put me in position to
you’re not going to make succeed,” Fox said.
every shot, but my team- award it’ll be more like 24 while DeRozan finished with is five points or less at any The award was the second
mates, my coaches, they hours, probably, with Mike 80 points just three ahead point in the final 5:00. He major individual one to be
put me in position to suc- Brown expected to be an- of fourth-place finisher actually shot better from announced by the league
ceed. So the least I can do nounced as the coach Jalen Brunson of New York. the field in those moments this season.
is have confidence in my- of the year when the NBA DeRozan was second in the (53%) than he did at all oth- Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr.
self to take good shots.” reveals those results on NBA with 159 clutch points er times (51%). was announced Monday
Fox became Sacramento’s Wednesday.The voting was scored this season, and He becomes the first re- as the defensive player of
first individual winner of a a runaway; Fox, who led Butler was third with 151. cipient of the Jerry West the year. The rest of the
major award since Tyreke the league with 194 clutch Fox led the league in Trophy; it was named for schedule for announc-
Evans held off Stephen points, got 91 of the pos- clutch-game scoring this the player who earned the ing other league awards,
Curry for rookie of the year sible 100 first-place votes season with 194 points in 39 moniker of “Mr. Clutch” including MVP, most im-
in 2010. The Kings almost and 460 of a possible 500 such games; clutch games during his career. The NBA proved player and rookie
certainly won’t be wait- points. Butler got one first- are defined as those where announced in Decem- of the year, has not yet
ing 13 years for their next place vote and 104 points, the margin between teams ber that it was adding the been disclosed.q

Heim, Semien lead Rangers to 12-3 win over KC, series sweep

By DAVE SKRETTA ever by a Rangers left- developing into a staff double by Taveras, who answered with four in the
AP Sports Writer hander, though he allowed ace last season, but this proceeded to score when seventh the binge begin-
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — more than two runs for the year has been a struggle. Semien sent a single to right ning with a free base due
Jonah Heim hit a three-run first time this season. The young right-hander al- field for a 3-0 lead. to catcher’s interference
homer, Marcus Semien had It hardly mattered against lowed eight runs on 10 hits The Royals scratched out before Duran’s punctuat-
three hits and drove in a the Royals. in his last start against At- two runs in the sixth to make ing three-run shot in the
pair of runs, and the Texas They’ve been outscored lanta, and he’s allowed 18 it a game, but the Rangers ninth. q
Rangers rolled to a 12-3 vic- 52-15 while losing six straight runs over 16 innings in his
tory over the Kansas City games, and they have lost last three outings.
Royals on Wednesday to nine of their last 10 to fall to Just like the previous night,
wrap up a lopsided sweep 4-15 under first-year man- when the Rangers jumped
of their three-game series. ager Matt Quatraro. Kan- on erratic Royals starter
Ezequiel Duran added a sas City has won just once Brad Keller, they took ad-
bases-clearing double, in 13 games at home this vantage of Singer’s early
and Leody Taveras and season. trouble finding the strike
Adolis García also drove in Brady Singer (1-2) didn’t zone to jump to a 3-0 lead
two runs apiece, helping give them much of a by the end of the second
the Rangers (12-6) win their chance Wednesday. He inning. Semien led off the
fourth straight and match allowed five runs on six hits game with the first of his
the fifth-best start in fran- and three walks while us- three singles and Travis
chise history. ing 97 pitches just to get Jankowski worked a four-
Martin Pérez (3-1) allowed through five innings. He pitch walk before Garcia’s Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (30) catches a
three runs on eight hits over had four strikeouts, two of sacrifice fly gave Texas a foul ball off the bat of Kansas City Royals’ Matt Duffy during the
5 2/3 innings. He’s gone them coming on full-count 1-0 lead. Then in the sec- second inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, April 19, 2023,
at least five in 34 straight pitches. ond, Heim drew a leadoff in Kansas City, Mo.
starts, the longest streak Singer looked like he was walk before scoring on a Associated Press