Coming off back-to-back losses in Brooklyn and Toronto earlier in the week, the Kings continue their season-long six-game trip Friday in Memphis. They'll take on a Grizzlies team that has dropped seven straight and 13 of their previous 14 games.
Sacramento hung in through three quarters against the Raptors, but let the game slip away in the fourth. Rookie Marvin Bagley III picked up his first career start in the loss and impressed on both ends of the floor. Seven players scored in double-figures against Toronto, but with three Kings starters resting, depth became an issue.
Memphis has won just one game since Dec. 26. Long time franchise cornerstones, Mike Conley Jr. and Marc Gasol, were both informed this week that they are being shopped before the Feb. 7 NBA trade deadline. The two have played together with the Grizzlies for more than a decade, but that run might come to an end over the next two weeks.
Kings Pregame Live on NBC Sports California begins at 4:30 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 5:00. All coverage can be seen on the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.
Sacramento finishes their six-game road trip Sunday with a stop in Los Angeles to face the Clippers. They'll return home after nearly two weeks away to face the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday at Golden 1 Center.
Line
Grizzlies +2.5
NBA
Projected Lineups
Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Iman Shumpert
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Willie Cauley-Stein
Grizzlies
PG Mike Conley Jr.
SG Justin Holiday
SF Garrett Temple
PF Jaren Jackson Jr.
C Marc Gasol
Injury Report
Kings
No injuries to report.
Grizzlies
SG Garrett Temple (heel) probable, SF Kyle Anderson (ankle) out, G Dillon Books (toe) out.
Rotation Outlook
Kings: Dave Joerger will have a full stable of players to work with after missing three starters Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors. Fox, Shumpert and Bjelica are all expected back in action when the teams faces off with the Grizzlies. The trio sat to rest up and recover after struggling during the month of January.
With Bjelica out of commission against the Raptors, Bagley posted a 22-point, 11-rebounds double-double in the loss. He set new career-highs in both scoring and minutes played, but it wasn't enough to come away with the win.
Bjelica started 46 of the team's 47 games to start the season, but Bagley is building momentum midway through his rookie season and might get consideration as a starter in the near future.
The Kings have slowed down in the month of January. They rank second in the league in pace, but since the start of the new year, they rank 12th in the league at 100.92 possessions per 48 minutes.
Grizzlies: Despite placing Conley and Gasol on the block, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff continues to run the pair out on the floor for major minutes. Conley scored 31 points in 36 minutes against the Hornets on Wednesday and Gasol finished the night with a 22-point, 17-rebound, 10-assist triple-double in 39 minutes of action.
Bickerstaff used an eight-man rotation against Charlotte with Ivan Rabb and Javon Carter each playing less that five minutes as the ninth and tenth men.
Memphis ranks 30th in the league in pace and points per game, averaging 100.8 points per game. They continue to limit teams with their defense, allowing the second fewest points per game at 104.2.