Preview: Sacramento Kings Seek First Win In Charlotte Since 2017

Oct 31, 2022, 11:52 AM | Updated: 3:24 pm

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 05: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings shoots over Terry Roz...

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Can the Sacramento Kings build its first winning streak of the season?

The Kings will begin a four-game road trip on Monday night when they face a short-handed Charlotte Hornets team at the Spectrum Center in North Carolina.

After holding off a late charge from the Miami Heat on Saturday afternoon, Sacramento is hoping to pull itself further out of the 0-4 hole that was created during the opening week of action.

Here’s everything that you need to know for tonight’s Halloween showdown between the Kings and Hornets:

Not-so-fun Kings vs Hornets info:

Sacramento has lost 8 of their past 10 matchups against the Hornets dating back to February 2017.

The Kings have lost their past five games at Spectrum Center, with the last win coming on January 28, 2017.

If you believe in due… they're due.

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) October 31, 2022

Where To Watch & Listen To Kings vs Grizzlies

When: 4:00 PM PST

Where: Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC

TV: NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Pregame coverage starts at 2:30 pm PST on Game Night

What To Watch For

Can The Kings Control The Paint?

One of Sacramento’s biggest problems thus far this season has been defending the paint, and Monday night’s game could be a difficult one for Domantas Sabonis and Richaun Holmes.

Charlotte enters play against the Kings having averaged 52 points per game in the paint (10th in the NBA), while Sacramento ranks near the bottom of the league in paint defense as they have surrendered 52.4 points per game in the paint (22nd in the NBA).

Can Sabonis and Holmes contain the Charlotte offense and come out on top during tonight’s battle in the paint?

The Kings did a solid job of keeping Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo out of the paint late during Saturday’s win, but they will surely need to string together consecutive defensive efforts if they want to secure another victory.

Who Will Lead The Bench Unit?

Bench scoring has been a mixed bag for Sacramento this season, and Saturday’s game against Miami perfectly encapsulated the opening weeks of the season.

Trey Lyles–a player that was the lone member of the Kings to not register playing time during Thursday’s loss to Memphis–led all bench scorers with 10 points on Saturday night. Keegan Murray was the team’s leading scorer off of the bench, but now that the rookie is in the starting lineup, somebody else will need to step up and lead the second unit.

Players like Davion Mitchell, Malik Monk, and Richaun Holmes are players to keep an eye on during tonight’s game as the Kings will hope to find a scoring punch off of the bench.