Looking to make a late-season run, the Sacramento Kings host the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday evening at Golden 1 Center.
Fresh off a 129-102 drubbing of the Chicago Bulls, the Kings need another team effort against a tough opponent. Marvin Bagley posted 21 points and nine rebounds in the team’s win over Chicago on Sunday. He’s still working through a minutes restriction, but he should be available to play upwards of 24 minutes against the Nets.
[RELATED: How to watch Kings-Nets online and on MyTeams app]
Brooklyn has dropped three straight and is clinging to the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Nets are an up-and-coming team that plays hard every night, but like the Kings, this is uncharted territory for many of their players.
Kings Pregame Live on NBC Sports California begins at 6:30 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. All coverage can be seen on the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.
The Kings host the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday and the Phoenix Suns on Saturday before heading back out on the road for another five-game trip starting Sunday in LA against the Lakers.
Line
Kings by 3.5
Projected Lineups
Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Harrison Barnes
PF Nemanja Bjelcia
C Willie Cauley-Stein
Nets
PG D’Angelo Russell
SG Joe Harris
SF Caris LeVert
PF Rodions Kurucs
C Jarrett Allen
Injury Report
Kings
No injuries to report.
Nets
SF Allen Crabbe (knee) out.
Rotation Outlook
Kings
Dave Joerger continues to stick with the same starting lineup, but his bench is seeing expanded minutes. Fox, Hield and Barnes command major time, but there are young players making strides at other positions.
Rookies Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles are demanding more time with their play. The tandem continues to build on-court chemistry and is looking more and more like the future for the Kings on the frontline.
Bogdan Bogdanovic is still working to get comfortable running the second unit. While healthy, he isn’t getting the volume of shots he was in previous months and is looking to find his niche again with the team. In the Kings’ 123-94 loss to the Nets in January, Bogdanovic played well, scoring 22 points and notching a career-high 11 assists.
Nets
The Nets play considerably better than their stats would indicate. They rank 18th in scoring and 19th in points allowed. They are third in the league in 3-point makes and free throw attempts and sixth in rebounds per game.
Russell is the star, but this is a team that shares the scoring load. Six players average double-figure scoring and another four post eight or more points.
They play a physical style and they attack the rim. If the Kings hope to come away with a second straight win, they need to match the intensity of a quality Nets team.
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