After finishing a tough homestand at 2-2, the Sacramento Kings venture back out on the road for a quick trip to Memphis and Houston. They’ll face a veteran Grizzlies team that loves to slow it down and is off to a strong 8-5 start on the season.
The Kings are flying high following Monday’s win over the San Antonio Spurs. They continue to play at an incredible pace with the starting backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield leading the charge.
Kings Pregame Live on NBC Sports Bay California begins at 4:30 p.m., with tip-off scheduled for 5:00 pm.
[RELATED: How to watch Kings-Grizzlies live on MyTeams]
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The Kings play Saturday in Houston on the second night of a back-to-back. They return home Monday to host the Thunder before heading back out on the road Wednesday to face the Utah Jazz.
Line: Grizzlies by 6.5
Projected Starting Lineup
Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Iman Shumpert
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Willie Cauley-Stein
Grizzlies
PG Mike Conley
SG Garrett Temple
SF Kyle Anderson
PF Jaren Jackson
C Marc Gasol
Injury Report
Kings
C Kosta Koufos (right calf strain) OUT.
Grizzlies
SF Omri Casspi (knee) PROBABLE, SF Chandler Parsons (knee) OUT, PF JaMychal Green (knee) OUT, G Dillon Brooks (knee) OUT.
Rotation Outlook
Kings
Coach Dave Joerger continues to adjust to the return of Bogdan Bogdanovic. The second-year shooting guard was a starter before injury, but he has yet to crack back into the opening group as he works through minutes restrictions and a rotation that has found early success.
Joerger has started the same five for nine straight games, which is a huge adjustment after last season’s carousel. Kosta Koufos will miss a few games with a strained right calf, which opens up an opportunity for rookie Harry Giles. After a rough start to the season, Giles posted 12 points and six rebounds in the Kings’ win over the Spurs on Monday.
Grizzlies
J.B. Bickerstaff has the Grizzlies playing their typical grit-and-grind style of play, but he’s struggling to field a team of 13 healthy bodies. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol continue to anchor Memphis’ rotation and former King, Garrett Temple is having a breakout season as the team’s starting shooting guard.
The Grizzlies rank 29th in points per game and play at the slowest pace in the NBA, but they have a top-five defense and a strong identity. Whoever controls the pace of the game will likely come out on top.
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