The Kings and Raptors are in two very different places right now. Sacramento is trying to secure a playoff spot in a tough Western Conference to try to escape potential Play-In tournament matchups with the desperate Mavericks, Suns, Lakers or Warriors.
Meanwhile, Toronto is rebuilding. After trading OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam, the Raptors now have an interesting group of young players but are only in twelfth place in the East.
For the Kings, today’s game is extremely important. Every win counts in the Western Conference playoff race and for the Kings have struggled to beat shorthanded or bad teams throughout the season. Now is the time to resolve this issue.
Unfortunately, the Kings will be without two key players, Trey Lyles and Kevin Huerter. Keon Ellis and Keegan Murray are among the players who will have to step up their efforts today and in the long term.
On the bright side, Sasha Vezenkov, who missed some time with a third-year sprained ankle, was listed as questionable earlier today and could be close to returning to the lineup. With Lyles out for an extended period due to a sprained MCL, Vezenkov’s size and shooting ability would be formidable.
For the Raptors, things look even worse. Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Chris Boucher, DJ Carton, Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley are all listed as released. That’s pretty much their entire starting five.
Even with two key players out, the Kings should easily win this game. It shouldn’t even be as close as Monday’s game against the Grizzlies. Memphis loses a lot, but they at least had Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., two young rising stars, playing.
This two-game stretch against the Raptors and Wizards is a chance for the Kings to add to their win total and bolster their position in the playoff race. So they need to mind their own business and not downplay the level of competition like we’ve seen them do so many times this season.
This includes big matches from their main players – De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk – as well as solid contributions from Keegan Murray, Harrison Barnes, Keon Ellis, Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte.
Ideally, the starters should be able to rest the last few minutes and already mentally move on to the next match.
