The 40-28 Sacramento Kings have revealed head coach Mike Brown’s starting lineup for tonight’s matchup against the lowly 11-58 Washington Wizards. As Sacramento’s X/Twitter account reveals, All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox will be joined by normal reserve Keon Ellis in the club’s backcourt. Ellis is subbing in for normal starter Kevin Huerter, out with a troubling shoulder injury. Small forward Harrison Barnes, power forward Keegan Murray, and All-Star center Domantas Sabonis comprise the club’s starting frontcourt.
Washington, meanwhile, has also revealed its own first five as it looks towards the future. The lottery-bound club will start pricey point guard Jordan Poole, wing Corey Kispert at shooting guard, small forward Deni Avidja, well-compensated former Los Angeles Lakers champion Kyle Kuzma at power forward, and ex-Kings center Richaun Holmes in the middle. They’re just hoping to avoid an embarrassing blowout.
Every game against a lottery-bound club as the 2023-24 NBA regular season winds down is a gift for the Kings. Even without Huerter, Sacramento is hoping to win handily this evening. Forwards Trey Lyles and Sasha Vezenkov are also going to be on the shelf tonight, according to the league’s latest injury report and Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
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Beyond those role players absences, the Kings should have enough to improve their win total. Sacramento is presently the sixth seed in the Western Conference, with a 40-28 record. Every win is precious, as the 40-29 Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns (the West’s seventh and eighth seeds) are nipping at their heels, in the hopes of avoiding the play-in tournament. Neither of those clubs has a long-term starting lineup absence, unfortunately.
Sacramento won its last battle against the Wiz by double digits in December, in a high-scoring 143-131 clash. Sportsbook aggregator The Action Network considers them likely to get at or near that number once again. Accordingly, they’re pegged as -11 favorites. Tip off is set for 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. You can tune via NBA League Pass, The Monumental Sports Network and NBC Sports Bay Area & California.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.