Kings and Bulls face off eager to improve their playoff stock
Two teams trying to avoid play-in status in the fast-approaching NBA playoffs face off Monday night when the Chicago Bulls visit the Kings of Sacramento.
Both teams enter the finale of their two-game regular season series holding a play-in spot in their respective conferences after lackluster play of late, with the Bulls losing four of six and the Kings losing six of their Last 11.
Neither team has played since Friday, when Chicago suffered a 113-97 home drubbing at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks, while Sacramento used overtime to end a two-game skid in Minnesota, winning 124-120 on the Timberwolves.
The teams met on February 3 in Chicago, with De’Aaron Fox scoring 41 points and Domantas Sabonis recording a triple-double (13 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists) in the Kings’ 123-115 victory. Coby White led the Bulls with 26 points, while DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic each added 24.
White shot 10 of 18 overall and went 4 of 7 on 3-pointers in the loss, and he followed that up by totaling 53 points in his next two games, making 17 of 33 and nine of 16 at three. .
But the 24-year-old has slumped since then, shooting 6 of 32 from deep (18.8 percent) in his last four games.
His teammates also struggled offensively against the Bucks, leading to an ejection, two more technical fouls and a reminder that frustration usually ends badly in the NBA.
“We did some really good things; they hit some tough shots at the other end,” said Vucevic, the Bull who was sent off. “We played some tough games. Maybe fatigue got to us a little bit. We just let our frustrations get the better of us for a little while. We all know we have to do a better job with that. This That’s usually not the case. I won’t help you at all.”
The Kings outscored the Bulls 45-33 from beyond the arc in the previous meeting, but Sacramento, as a team, has lost its way offensively of late. The Kings were held to 110 points in an 11-point home loss to the Miami Heat last Monday, then mustered just 96 points in a 21-point blowout loss at Denver two days later.
With Fox missing a second straight game with a bruised left knee, the Kings responded to a players-only game with a win at Minnesota, even though the offense (115 points in regulation) didn’t. was not as clear as usual.
Kings coach Mike Brown left the arena Friday as satisfied as ever, and not just because his team won.
“I love it,” he said of the team reunion. “I’ve talked internally to our front office, to our coaches and even to our team, (saying) ‘We’re not going to reach the heights that we can reach until you (the players) take ownership .’ As a head coach you can only push and carry the group so far, there has to be a point where it comes from within.
–Field level media
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