Davion Mitchell gets another shot in Kings’ rotation; De’Aaron Fox jaws with Hawks’ crowd

When Kings head coach Mike Brown prepared his substitution patterns for Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, he had no plans to put Davion Mitchell back in his rotation. The plan was to continue to play reserve guard Keon Ellis in his normal minutes when De’Aaron Fox hit the bench.

But early in the second quarter, Brown made a switch on the fly with his team down 11 points, moments after falling behind by 23 to start the game. He reinserted Mitchell into the fold, calling on a player who had been an afterthought since the last time he played substantial minutes in a Dec. 16 win over the Utah Jazz.

Sacramento needed a change, Brown thought.

“I didn’t tell the coaches,” Brown said. “Everybody thought we were going with Keon, and I just said, ‘Davion, go.’”

Mitchell wound up providing Sacramento with a key defensive presence while the Kings came back from a 23-point first-quarter deficit to win 117-110. Sacramento held Atlanta to a miserable 28% shooting in the second half while outscoring the Hawks 64-39.

Mitchell earned the Kings’ defensive player of the game crown, his first of the season, after being among the team leaders last year in wearing the now-defunct DPOG chain.

It’s been a tough season for Mitchell, who played more than 20 minutes in 23 games last year, not including the playoff series against the Warriors when he averaged exactly 20 minutes over seven games. The third-year guard this season has played more than 20 minutes in only four of Sacramento’s 30 contests — and all four came while De’Aaron Fox was out with an ankle injury in early November.

“I gotta give the young man credit,” Brown said of Mitchell. “He’s hung in there, hung in there, hung in there. His head was into the game tonight and his performance was huge for us in terms of getting the win.”

Said Fox: “He changed the game for us.”

Mitchell is known for his work ethic and professionalism around the team, which didn’t change despite falling behind Ellis in the rotation. Mitchell’s name has been mentioned in speculation at the trade deadline with some wondering if he fits Sacramento’s style of free-flowing offense.

“Even if I’m not in the rotation, I’m still trying to help, still trying to help my team win,” Mitchell said after the Kings held the Hawks to 39% shooting on the night, the lowest of any opponent this season. “Keon’s a really good player in our league and I’m just trying to teach him the little things, things I experienced my rookie year, my sophomore year.”

Malik Monk, who sparked the Kings with 15 points off the bench and is considered a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, has been in Mitchell’s ear throughout the process. Monk was in and out of the rotation during his early seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before solidifying himself later with the Lakers.

“I’ve been through the same thing he’s going through, so I talk to him a lot just to keep him ready,” Monk said. “He handles it great, no complaining, coming to work every day, working hard. I think that’s why he played tonight.”

Playing Mitchell wasn’t Brown’s only adjustment to his bench rotation. Backup center Alex Len and wing Chris Duarte were given key minutes after only playing in garbage time during Tuesday’s loss to the Portland Trailblazers. Len played over JaVale McGee and Duarte was on the court over starter Harrison Barnes.

Len was plus-11 during his 13 minutes on the floor, dishing out four assists and grabbing three rebounds. Brown praised Len for his defense and helping to stabilize the interior. The Kings were plus-10 in Duarte’s 25 minutes, which included defense on Dejounte Murray, who had just two points in the second half after scoring 16 in the first. Trae Young (24 points) was Atlanta’s only player with more than Murray’s 18.

Duarte played the entire fourth quarter and hit a key 3-pointer to break a tie at 110 with 3:27 remaining. The Hawks went scoreless over the game’s final 4:44.

Fox gets into animated discussion with the crowd

Fox, the Kings’ All-Star point guard, had just five points at halftime while his team was getting outscored by 16 points in his first 19 minutes. But the reigning Clutch Player of the Year did what he’s known for, carrying his team in the second half.

He scored 13 points in the third quarter and 13 more in the fourth to finish with 31, pulling Sacramento across the finish line for the comeback win.

While doing so, he got into an animated discussion with members of the crowd sitting across from the Kings’ bench during a timeout with 4:20 remaining. At that point, the game was tied, and the Kings finished the game on a 7-0 run to seal it.

“They’re trash talking for their team,” Fox said. “They woke up a giant. That’s it.”

Fox tied his career-best with eight made 3-pointers while efficiently making half his attempts. He added eight assists and six rebounds, and took particular pleasure in coming up with the win to silence the crowd.

“I think it’s cool,” Fox said. “Obviously, it never got disrespectful. It’s playful banter. They want their team to win, I want to win, and that’s just being competitive.”

Fox said he didn’t consciously feel the need to press the issue after his lackluster scoring performance in the first half before making seven of his eight threes after halftime.

“I know in any quarter I can have 20 or 15, whatever it is,” he said. “For me, I never just want to start pressing. I feel like I’m talented enough and I’ve worked hard enough to know that, any given time, I can just pop off.”