After a much-needed win against the surging Houston Rockets, the Kings are in Memphis today to test their newfound skills against a Memphis Grizzlies team that has won six of their last seven games. Can the Kings find a way to keep up with the resurgent Grizzlies, who are desperate to put last season behind them? Can the Kings stay focused and execute a winning strategy against a superior opponent for a second straight game? Will someone remind De’Aaron Fox that he can just do it? The against any team in the league, and preferably tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies, starting at, oh yeah, 5:07 a.m. Pacific time?

Let’s talk Kings basketball.

When: Thursday, December 5, 5:00 p.m. PST
Where: FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN
TV: NBCSCA
radio: Sactown Sports 1140am

For your consideration

Not over the mountain: Before I get into anything else, Wednesday’s win over the Rockets was a good, solid, quality win with perhaps the most consistent performance I’ve ever seen from a Kings team. Really, when was the last time you saw a game where everyone who played more than 12 minutes scored in double figures and all but one shot over 44% from the field? When was the last time you saw a Kings game where the opponents tried to get a little more physical and the team as a whole didn’t collapse like cardboard in a pool? Sacramento is the team that allowed Chimezie Metu to be thrown unresponsive into a broken wrist, and yet here they are, getting grumpy, slumping their shoulders, trying to claw out a few eyes, and making out at center court with an opponent according to the point at which the referee and players must intervene. Sometimes it’s okay to be the asshole, especially when it’s another asshole, and any play with Dillon Brooks most likely means you’re morally right. The kings were in the right and, more importantly, in the win column.

That being said, there is still a lot of damage to be done in the Western Conference, and while a win can change the mood, it can’t undo two weeks of disastrous play. While the stories of Sacramento’s demise were a bit premature, so were the calls for immediate promotion. The sound the Kings heard at the end of the Rockets game was a collective sigh of relief, not a sign from the fan base that faith in this team has been fully restored and they can fall back into the habits they’ve established this season have . We’ve now seen what they can do when everyone pulls together and is on the same page – now it’s up to them to repeat it night after night across the 60 games. I don’t need the Kings to win all 60 if they come in and play like that The enough for root for me too.

So, on to their first test, the step out of “It’s over” and into this new era of “We’re so back” – a Memphis Grizzlies team essentially sitting in third place in the Western Conference standings and is currently in a hot phase against mediocre teams. Not to take anything away from the team, they are winning games that the Sacramento Kings haven’t proven they can do, but when I mentioned they won six out of seven, I forgot to mention those six games in a row the Sixers were. Bulls, Blazers, Pistons, Pelicans and Pacers. So two teams that have faded into obscurity due to injuries, a few teams that are too new to the season to know they should tank, and a Pacers team whose fate literally rests on the broken back of Tyrese Haliburton rests. Did I expect the Kings to go 6-0 there? No, I’ve been a fan long enough not to trust the franchise to get me a gallon of milk (or design a retro mascot) without screwing it up somehow. All I’m saying is that six wins is six wins, but there’s room to squint and realize that while the Grizzlies are off to a good start to the season, they’re not infallible.

So let’s get to what they do night after night: Firstly, they carve the stone, and do so with great precision. The Grizzlies are currently the sixth-best team in offensive rating, scoring the second-most points in the NBA at 121.4 per game while posting the second-fastest pace in the NBA. This is the composition of the roster that Monte McNair talks about in press conferences that he wants the Kings to have. (No, Monte, I didn’t forget you said there’s no reason why the Kings shouldn’t be in the top 5 in pace this season.) The Grizzlies are ranked 1st in the NBA in assists, 4th in offensive rebounds, 3rd in overall field goal percentage and 4th in free throw attempts. Their three-point percentage is 18th in the NBA at 34.9%, but if you know the Kings, that description isn’t an insult, but rather a pedestrian walking toward bath salts with a knife – you kind of are a deal. 34.9% is more than enough to beat the Kings. The Grizzlies are also getting behind on defense. While they rank 18th in opponent points per game, they rank 4th in overall defensive rating, 1st in blocks, 12th in steals and are holding teams at 44 .2% on the fourth lowest field goal percentage of the NBA night.

The good news here lies in three small points: The Grizzlies rank in the bottom three in the NBA in turnovers and fouls per game, and they rank in the bottom two in the number of three-point attempts they give up. IF DeRozan and Fox can get these guys in trouble early, the equation changes. IF the Kings can get on the fast track and surpass their 12th best in the NBA with their second chance at points, the math changes. If the Houston Rockets’ play, and especially Sacramento’s 14:30 through three games, was an indicator that a goaltending slump is being broken and the Kings are getting hot, the Grizzlies will give Sacramento the green light all night long.

Fox and Ja Morant will be a battle. Sabonis and JJJ will be a battle. Sacramento native Jaylen Wells will be looking to make an impact against a team from his hometown. Desmond Bane will be hunting for his shots (and a Kevin Huerter arm or two) all night long. This was supposed to be a dog fight. But the Kings are cornered with a touch of newfound confidence, and maybe, just maybe, that confidence isn’t entirely unfounded. Either way, the Kings will be in a much different situation after 48 minutes of basketball tonight. We hope for the best.

forecast

50 point blowout. Yes with 0 points and 3 references to firearms. Jaylen Wells scores 40 points and we are all very happy for him. DeRozan with 9 triples. Pandemonium in the streets.

Kings: 150, Grizzlies: 100