PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns (30-36) are looking to snap a two-game skid that began earlier this week tonight against the Sacramento Kings (33-32) in what is the first home game for Phoenix in over a week.
The Suns are coming off of a defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, while Sacramento fell to the Golden State Warriors last night.
The Suns will likely be without Grayson Allen and could be minus Nick Richards once again, while the Kings could potentially return Domantas Sabonis - as the big was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.
A brief preview of the first meeting since November:
Sacramento is a loser of three consecutive contests - two of them in blowout fashion.
While the Kings ultimately hold the inside track to host one of the pair of play-in games, it feels like two losses to Phoenix in the next month could be detrimental to that case.
The Suns, meanwhile, lost three of the four games on their road trip despite putting forth encouraging efforts - while the Dallas Mavericks continue to free-fall, Phoenix has to hold their own end of the bargain to sneak into the play-in.
This game is certainly crucial in the grand scheme of the NBA landscape two squads that are perceived to be in basketball purgatory attempting to gain traction in an effort to avoid uncomfortable conversations in the off-season.
Valanciunas has hurt the Suns frequently in the past behind his work on the offensive glass, physicality in the post, and the ability to space the floor in timely moments.
It feels as if the new member of the Kings will have a chance to make a mark in this contest regardless if Sabonis is able to give it a go or not - the possibility of Richards not being able to suit up for Phoenix could loom large as well.
Zach LaVine will likely be a major factor in the outcome of the game as well - the former Chicago Bull has recorded a quartet of 30-point performances since making the move to Sacramento.
The Kings' offense will surely present problems for a Phoenix defense that has been bottom five in the league for the better part of two months.
This will be a tightly contested game - the two squads have similar roster builds, similarly potent offenses, and defensive units that are prone to be porous.
Ultimately, the top-end talent Phoenix has wins out this time.
The Suns avoid losing the season series to Sacramento and continue to make marked progress towards catching Dallas for the 10 seed in the conference.
Suns-Kings is set to tip-off shortly after 7 P.M. Arizona time tonight.