Preview: Kings, Nets to face off on TNT in front of national audience

Nov 15, 2022, 9:28 AM | Updated: 10:26 am

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 14: Domantas Sabonis #10 of the Sacramento Kings geos up for a shot a...

(Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

For the first time in over two years, the Sacramento Kings (6-6) will be playing a game on a nationally televised TNT broadcast.

Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets (6-8) will hope to get back on track amid a rough start to the season that has been engulfed by off-court controversies that have been instigated by star guard Kyrie Irving.

Tuesday’s game between the Kings and Nets will be carried by TNT as Sacramento will appear on the network for the first time since August 11, 2020, during play in the NBA Bubble.

Sacramento is looking to secure its fourth-straight win after struggling out of the gates to an 0-4 start. Since October 28th, the Kings have flipped the switch as they have won six of their past eight contests.

Here’s everything that you need to know before tonight’s East Coast vs West Coast matchup at Golden 1 Center:

Automatic from mid-range. Shooting the three-ball with confidence. Go-to scorer late in games. Even the free throws are falling.

And most importantly, the Sacramento Kings are winning games.

This is the De'Aaron Fox we have been waiting for.https://t.co/MkfugXO0yq

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) November 14, 2022

Where To Watch & Listen To The Sacramento Kings vs Nets

When: 7:00 PM PST

Where: Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA

TV: TNT

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Pregame coverage starts at 6:00 PM PST on Game Night

Tickets: Click here

What To Watch For

Keep Feeding The Big Man

Domantas Sabonis’ historic night on Sunday will be a talking point on tonight’s TNT broadcast, but it should also be a point of emphasis for Sacramento’s game-plan against Brooklyn.

Sabonis scored 26 points, pulled down 22 boards, and handed out eight assists against Golden State, becoming the first Kings player to post a similar stat-line in over 20 years (Chris Webber, 1999). Brooklyn allows the least opponent points per game in the NBA, but are near the bottom of the league in three-point defense.

The Kings have countless three-point threats, meaning that Nets defenders will need to come out of the paint to contest the likes of Kevin Huerter, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, and De’Aaron Fox. This could free up Sabonis down low, and the Kings will surely look to ride their big man’s hot-streak.

Slow Down KD

This one isn’t rocket science.

With Irving (suspension) still out of the picture, all eyes will be on future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant tonight. Sacramento will likely throw veteran Harrison Barnes at Durant on the defensive end, but this could be one of those situations where we see head coach Mike Brown call on lengthy wing KZ Okpala if the ‘Slim Reaper’ gets cooking.

The Kings can’t let Durant get going as its been proven that the 34-year-old is hard to slow down once he starts getting consistent looks. Like Sacramento did in containing Steph Curry during Sunday’s win over the Warriors, a win on Tuesday could very well come down to how they measure up against Durant.

Recent History

Sacramento has only beaten Brooklyn one time over the past four years: a win at home back on February 2nd of this year.
The Nets hold a 7-1 record against the Kings since the beginning of the 2018-19 season.