A forgettable outing versus Houston capped a telling and season-long, eight-game road swing for the Kings on Tuesday. Finding themselves in winning position in six of the eight contests, a few favorable bounces could have easily turned a 3-5 trip into a 6-2 record.
Sacramento earned victories in Detroit, Cleveland and Charlotte with game-sealing plays made by DeMarcus Cousins. The three-time All-Star has been on a tear during the team’s last 10 outings, averaging 29 points, 13 rebounds and six assists per night. Falling by a combined 10 points in their past three losses, Sacramento has a chance to right the ship in a crowded Western Conference Playoff race during the current homestand. Minus Garrett Temple until post All-Star break, the play of Matt Barnes and the Kings rookies will need to fill the gap Temple has left, most notably on the defensive end of the court.
Phoenix meanwhile is in the midst of a five-game skid, falling to the Nuggets twice, the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies and the Clippers. As a result, they’ve landed in last place in the Western Conference. Phoenix’s record is highly deceiving though, as the Suns have star talent in Eric Bledsoe and Devin Booker, who are playing their best offense to date. The backcourt duo has combined to average 51 points over the squad’s past five contests.
Additionally, Marquese Chriss, a Sacramento native part of the draft day trade that sent Georgios Papagiannis, Skal Labissiere and the draft rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Kings, is coming off an impressive January. Just recently, he was named Western Conference rookie of the month.
Sactown will need to limit the Suns athletic pairings to earn a W on Friday.
Key Matchup
Darren Collison and Bledsoe will match up in a battle of the point guards. Both players have had impressive scoring stretches of late. Collison will need to limit Bledsoe’s paint opportunities while keeping the Suns guard on his toes.
Did You Know?
Between Phoenix and Sacramento, the teams feature seven Kentucky products, including former teammates Cousins and Bledsoe along with Tyler Ulis and Skal Labissiere.
Broadcast Information
The game will be streamed online at CSN California. Fans can also tune into the action on Sports 1140 KHTK Radio and the Kings + Golden 1 Center App. Follow Kings.com with live updates and postgame content on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.
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