Preview: Kings get key pieces back in rematch vs. Clippers

Nov 22, 2024, 8:26 AM

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 08: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings goes up for a shot on...

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Lead Editor & Kings Beat Writer

Help has arrived at an ideal time for the Sacramento Kings.

After playing the bulk of the past five games without several key pieces, the Kings will get All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis (lower back tightness) and six-time All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan (lower back tightness) back in its starting five on Friday night in Los Angeles.

Sacramento (8-7) has treaded water without Sabonis, DeRozan, and Malik Monk (right ankle sprain), relying on a red-hot stretch of play from De’Aaron Fox to keep the Kings’ offense flowing.

The Kings, who benefited from three days without any games, will take a refreshed roster into the shiny new Intuit Dome, where they will face a Clippers (9-7) team that has won three straight contests and six consecutive games on its home floor.

Friday’s game will have a little extra juice as both teams will look to improve their standing in the NBA Cup. Sacramento (0-1) and Los Angeles (0-1) are both looking for their first win in the Group Play stage.

Sabonis is back. DeRozan is back. Can the Kings get back to their winning ways?

Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers Info

When: 7:30 PM PT

Where: Intuit Dome – Inglewood, CA

TV: NBC Sports California, NBA League Pass (for out-of-market viewers)

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Coverage starts at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys

Line: Kings -2.5, O/U 216.5

Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Clippers coverage, beginning at 2:00 PM PST on The Drive Guys before a 7:30 PM PST tip-off from Southern California.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

It was fair to expect that De’Aaron Fox would have to shoulder a larger scoring load with Sabonis, DeRozan, and Monk sidelined, but not to the level he has been producing.

Fox has been on an unbelievable tear over his past four games, averaging 41.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 2.0 steals on 57 percent shooting from the field and 59 percent from long range (5.5 attempts per game).

The speedy guard has caused the bulk of his damage in the paint and mid-range, often getting downhill and using his shiftiness to create space from defenders.

Fox is shooting an impressive 50 percent (23-of-46) on field goal attempts from 10-t0-14 feet from the basket, showing his impressive mid-range presence–one that will have company as ‘King of the Midrange’ DeMar DeRozan makes his return.

Over his past nine games against the Clippers, Fox has averaged 29.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 53 percent shooting from the field (5-4 record).

Keep an eye on Fox during Friday’s action, as the guard could look to remain aggressive and continue his high-volume output as DeRozan and Sabonis gain their footing after missing some time.

DeMar DeRozan on De’Aaron Fox’s recent play:

“He definitely deserves more attention, more of the spotlight of being one of the best point guards in this league because what he’s capable of doing. I don’t see other people in the league that are able to do the things that he’s… pic.twitter.com/EzGEgBJnJw

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) November 21, 2024

Three-Point Redemption

During the lone meeting between these two teams on November 8th, Sacramento turned in one of—if not the worst—shooting performances in franchise history.

The Kings, who have not found much success from deep this season, went three-for-26 (11%) from three-point land. To add insult to injury, the Clippers knocked down 14 of its 30 (46%) attempts from deep en route to a 107-98 win at Golden 1 Center.

Sacramento has looked much better from beyond the arc as of late, shooting 43 percent from the perimeter over the past four games.

Can the Kings find the bottom of the net against a Los Angeles team that has held two of its past three opponents to 30 percent or worse from three? We’ll see how the revamped starting lineup affects those results.

Notes

Clippers’ leading scorer Norman Powell (23.1 points per game) will not play on Friday night due to a left hamstring strain. During the matchup with Sacramento earlier this month, Powell scored 31 points and collected 12 rebounds.

Trey Lyles has brushed off a rough start to the season, averaging 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds on 44 percent shooting from deep over his past six games.

Keegan Murray is off to another slow start–but it could just be due to the fact that it’s November. During his career, Murray is shooting 27 percent from three-point land in November. Here are the rest of his splits from the three-point line during his three-year career:

October: 36%
November: 27%
December: 45%
January: 44%
February: 36%
March: 37%
April: 37%