After three days off the Sacramento Kings are back in action, hosting the Memphis Grizzlies this evening. The Kings are 0-3 while the Grizzlies stand at 3-1. Sacramento will certainly have their work cut out for them to avoid starting the season 0-4. But they’ll have a boost of energy as Keegan Murray joins the starting lineup.
When: Thursday, October 27, 2022, 7:00 PM PT
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
For Your Consideration
Battle of the Young Point Guard Stars: Tonight’s marquee matchup is De’Aaron Fox facing off against Ja Morant. The two young point guards have often found themselves compared to one another thanks to loud media personalities with too much airtime to fill. Comparing the two is someone silly considering the differences in their games and supporting rosters over the years, but the comparisons exist nonetheless. And both players have gotten off to a terrific start this season.
This year has featured none of the slow starts we’ve seen from Fox in years past, and Ja picked up right where he left off last season. I said before that I think it’s silly to pit these two against each other as a measure of success, and I mean that, but I do think a comparison to their starts can serve as a lens for us to appreciate how well Fox has started the year.
Fox: 31.7 PTS, 59.4 FG%, 45.0 3P% 7.0 AST, 5.7 RBS, 1.3 STL, 4.7 TOs
Ja: 35.3 PTS, 54.8 FG%, 60.0 3P%, 7.0 AST, 2.8 RBS, 1.0 STL, 3.5 TOs
Obviously small sample size caveats are all over these numbers. I don’t think Fox will shoort 45% from 3 this season, nor do I think Ja will shoot 60% from 3. Fox’s 8 turnover game is definitely spiking his TO average too. But both of these players are having a phenomenal start to the year for the teams. I’m excited for tonight’s game because Ja is a great test for Fox’s newfound attention on the defensive end. He’s not going to shut down Ja, nobody does, but I want to see Fox duel Ja on both ends of the floor.
Prediction
Fox outplays Ja Morant, Sabonis outplays Steven Adams, Keegan Murray drops 25 with barely even a glimmer of happiness.
Kings 122, Grizzlies 119
Give us a glimmer, Keegs!
Keegemoji
This is pretty much perfect.
Hahahaha!
win it for Greg!
please don’t lose
Need a win, and need it real fast
To put this loss streak in the past.
Get up in Ja’s grill—
Impose the Kings’ will—
Now that Keegan is starting at last!
There once was a man named Morant,
who showed that he can and we can’t.
Once likened to Fox,
he jumped out of that box,
and our post season hopes remain scant.
Hmm
These are both absolutely ridiculous photos.
Just thinking about coming down from those heights makes my knees hurt.
Ridiculously incredible athletes tend to make ridiculous photos.
Ja is so darn impressive. And he makes it look so effortless. Shoulders even with the rim – I still have dreams of soaring that high above the rim…
I’ve lowered the rim.
That’s just called working smarter not harder.
It’s where my experience as a Kings fan came in handy.
I feel the exact same way about dealing with pain, grief, loss, despair, depression, substance abuse, bad draft picks, and visits to Los Angeles…Kings fandom has made me impervious to all but the worst of the worst.
Key to win:
1) A bounce back and an above average game from Barnes
2) 2nd unit scoring from either Monk / TD/ Mitchell
3) DNP-CD for Ja Morant
For any other team, yes. For KANGZ, Tyus Jones starts in Ja’s spot and drops 27 on our head, for an easy 17 point Grizzlies victory.
Hopefully they recognize the importance of load management for Morant.
Murray is going to have a fine game, no doubt. Still, if Morant comes out with his ass on fire, subbing in KZ for someone might not be a bad move. I give him the edge over Mitchell based on size, but Davion can certainly stay in front of anyone, which is half the battle.
If they can make him work as hard as Dame needed to, he can have his thirty points on twenty-eight shots.
Defense for sure is the key. I keep squinting but can only see an L here… it is just not morphing into a W for me.
The Blazers are 4-0 and the Clippers are title contenders and we could’ve won both those games if not for some lazy TOs and FTs.
I know it’s been a tough start to the season, but I think this team can hang with this level of competition. With JJJ out, I suspect tonight is when it all comes together and we steal a win.
Blazers lost last night to Miami and are 4-1 now. Plus Dame might be out for a bit as he left last night’s game with an injury. FWIW.
I agree about tonight. I think the Kings have a great shot at a win, and if the Kings won against PDX and are 2-2 at this point (after tonight), I think folks might see things a bit differently.
If and might…..
Did they beat PDX?
Or he’ll have a clunker, which is okay too. He’ll have his ups and downs, like every
rookieNBA player.Always a possibility, especially for rookies. I have a feeling over the course of his career, consistency is going to be one of his virtues. He can play in any system, and with all kinds of players.
And doing this all without JJJ…the poor man’s MB3.
That made me laugh. Well done.
Strictly speaking, he’s the exceedingly wealthy man’s MBIII. Those busted-up legs are still worth $100 mil+ over the next four years.
“Great when he’s healthy” has been the epitaph of a nearly-endless list of players.
Got a good feeling about this one. This will be a tough game, but I think the Kings could make a statement tonight.
And they’ve had 3 days to think about the errors of their ways. If they aren’t ready to go, when will they be?
It’s ironic that all of the Grizzlies you choose to use on this GIF, you use the one who is out for an extended period. LOL
Well, when is he expected to be back?
Reverse psychology
Well played sir!!!
Oh give me a break! If they somehow miraculously win, it’ll be by a few points. They aren’t making no statement wins until they learn how to play defense for a full game, not a few minutes
Lol are you preemptively upset about a slim win?
A slim win is not a statement
Team A: ORtg 115.9 DRtg 121.6
Offensive eFG% 52.4% TOV% 13% ORB% 36.1% FT Rate 28.2%
Defensive eFG% 54.2% TOV% 12.8% DRB% 64.5% FT Rate 29%
Team B: ORtg 110.7 DRtg 114.6
Offensive eFG% 54.4% TOV % 14.2% ORB% 26.4% FT Rate 25.9%
Defensive eFG% 55.5% TOV% 11.9% DRB% 78.2% FT Rate 35.5%
You can compare Sac vs Mem here.
My point here is, just as sample sizes can distort one’s view, so can the front of the jersey and W/L totals.
I see your point, but that DRtg is hold your nose bad.
Guess Memphis should pack it in then. ????????????
Fox seems to get up for marquee 1v1 matchups. Which has always been really frustrating to me, but it portends a good night tonight.
He’s gotten up for every game so far, which has been a welcome sight. Hopefully he can sustain the effort for the whole season
Agreed. He seems much more upbeat and energized this year. I know the MB3 over Doncic debacle is always center stage when thinking about mistakes being made, but in my eyes, the hiring of Walton and not firing him after year one, and then year two, is a very close second. That unmotivated dullard was the worst thing to happen to Fox (who I think is an outstanding talent, though obviously not so outstanding he could overcome bad coaching), he sucked the life out of Buddy (who enjoys basketball as much as any player), and was as relentlessly mediocre as he was with the Lakers, and he was as a player.
Making the case for those who are pro-marriage
(…hope my wife doesn’t see this)
This blockbuster double-feature is a Vlade Divac Joint
I’m interested to see how Sabonis does against a big physical defender in Steven Adams, historically they have played 8 games against each other with Adams arguably having better performances. Adams has averaged nearly 17 points and 10 rebounds to Sabonis’ 15 and 10. A major difference has been Sabonis shot just 47% from the field compared to Adams shooting a whopping 70%. Steven Adams appears to play above his averages when going head to head with Sabonis
Sabonis seems to struggle the most against smart defenders who can outmatch him physically, and Adams certainly checks that box. Sabonis’ best chance to win this matchup is with his playmaking with screens and passes.
I’m not sure anyone on the roster has the physical tools to deal with squaring up against McAdams. Sabonis looks like he could bulk up a little bit – he somehow looks scrawnier than he did last year – he may have lost a good 10 pounds over the summer? Len has seen very limited minutes so far this year and I’m not sure Holmes has the skill set to defend well against bigs.
Sabonis is a threat out to around eighteen feet, so hopefully, he can lure Adams out of the paint from time to time. Maybe Sabs hits a couple of threes, which could force Memphis to do things on defense that it would rather not.
Also, Steven Adams is incredible at what he does.
I think the Kings should be using the pick and roll a bit more than they have been. I love this motion offense for our general approach, but a Fox/Sabonis pick-and-roll should be the go-to when the team needs a bucket, and it hasn’t yet been that under Brown. Both are so good in that action — Fox in creating space for himself, finishing in the paint, and making drop passes, and Sabonis in outsmarting the defenders with his screens and making the roll a multi-faceted threat with his finesse, passing, and finishing abilities.
I agree. When they’re on the court and Plan A or B breaks down, pass it to Fox and run a simple pick and roll with Domas or pass it to Domas at the high post and run a Chicago/Zoom or Rip DHO. Those incorporate a third player (another guard usually) but Monk, Davion, Davis, or Huerter can fill that role and possibly get a pass and make a shot out of it.
Agreed, no sense throwing out the baby with the bathwater. The two of them run it beautifully, and it will be even more effective now that there are actual other play calls for the offense.
Yup agreed, especially cuz guys are showing an awareness of when to cut to the rim or move on the arc.
Imagine Fox/Domas pick and roll with Huerter/Murray/Barnes on the wing? If even a single defender crashes to the paint, there’s gonna be an open 3
If the Kings have truly improved they will win this game. This looks and smells like a big fat L
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