The Sacramento Kings are in a tailspin at a bad time, and things are about to get much more difficult for the Beam Team.
While the Kings (33-33) have returned to Golden 1 Center for a season-long seven-game homestand that tips off on Monday night, an unforgiving schedule could prove problematic in the coming weeks.
Sacramento currently has the fourth-hardest remaining strength of schedule in the NBA, and upcoming matchups against several juggernaut teams will test its ability to handle adversity during a postseason push.
The Memphis Grizzlies (43-25) enter play on Monday having won five of its past six games, including a 125-91 win over the Miami Heat on Saturday night.
As well as the Grizzlies have played as of late, they will be without star point guard Ja Morant (left hamstring soreness) on Monday night. Morant hasn’t played in Sacramento since October 27, 2022.
Memphis is 15-10 (.600) over 25 games without Morant this season.
YouTube video
The Grizzlies will be without Morant, who is averaging 22.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game this season, but they still have plenty of firepower to throw at a Kings defense that has allowed its past three opponents to shoot 50 percent or better from three-point land.
Sacramento native Jaylen Wells scored a career-high 30 points during his last visit to Golden 1 Center on January 3rd. All-Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. added 28 points in his last matchup against the Kings. Desmond Bane is nearly shooting 40 percent from deep this season.
Memphis has plenty of options against Sacramento–but thankfully for the Kings, they will have a key piece of their own available on Monday.
Domantas Sabonis (left hamstring strain) appeared to aggravate his injury during Friday’s loss to the Phoenix Suns. Although the center did not return to finish the game, he went through a full practice session on Sunday and is not listed on the injury report against the Grizzlies.
Kings forward Trey Lyles (low back soreness) did not play on Friday in Phoenix and is considered questionable on Monday night.
Here’s a look at the full Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies injury report:
Kings vs. Grizzlies Injury Report
Sacramento
Trey Lyles – QUESTIONABLE (low back soreness)
Mason Jones – OUT (G-League)
Memphis
Scotty Pippen Jr. – QUESTIONABLE (left wrist soreness)
Santi Aldama – DOUBTFUL (right calf strain)
Ja Morant – OUT (left hamstring strain)
More on Kings vs. Grizzlies
Time is of the essence for the Sacramento Kings, whose tenuous grasp on a spot in the play-in tournament weakened over the past week.
Sacramento (33-33) has lost four straight heading into a matchup against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies on Monday and is ninth in the Western Conference standings.
The Kings are hoping for a fresh start when they open a season-most seven-game homestand against the Grizzlies (43-25), who are in fourth place in the tight Western Conference standings.
Sacramento turned in another disappointing defensive effort in a 122-106 road loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday. Phoenix made 24 3-pointers and scored a season-high 38 points off 19 Sacramento turnovers.
“I feel like it’s just our bad offense that is leading to their great offense,” Kings guard Malik Monk said. “I feel like if we cut the turnovers down — I feel like the turnovers are not coming from a bad spot. We’re trying to make the right play. But we’ve got to make the (right) play now, because obviously it’s not going our way. If we don’t figure it out, we’ll be home in April.”
Domantas Sabonis returned after six games with a hamstring injury and had 12 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds against Phoenix. DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points but was left baffled by the Kings’ poor play over the past week.
“I don’t know,” DeRozan said. “I’ll probably need tonight just to think about it. It sucks, losing. It’s been a crazy week. The way we lost a couple games. Maybe just, this is where we’re at. We got (16) games left. It’s going to be a dog fight. We’ve got to figure it out.”
One key part of that puzzle is guard Zach LaVine, who scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter on Friday. Sacramento coach Doug Christie is looking for more early-game assertiveness from the two-time All-Star.
The Kings are monitoring the status of Sabonis, who exited Friday’s game in the fourth quarter after appearing to reaggravate his hamstring injury. He was not listed on the injury report on Sunday.
Sacramento has split its first two meetings against Memphis this season. The Grizzlies won 115-110 on Dec. 5 and the Kings posted a 138-133 victory on Jan. 3.
Read more below:
Slumping Kings look to regroup vs. Grizzlies
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
Monday, March 17th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 PM PT
Wednesday, March 19th – vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 20th – vs. Chicago Bulls – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, March 22nd – vs. Milwaukee Bucks – 7:00 PM PT
Monday, March 24th – vs. Boston Celtics – 7:00 PM PT
Thank you for readingSactownSports.com. Follow us onTwitterandGoogle News, and subscribe to ourYouTubechannel.