Kings Vs Grizzlies: Sacramento ends franchise-worst 16-game skid with 123-114 win
The Sacramento Kings snapped a franchise-worst 16-game losing streak with a 123-114 victory over the injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night in Memphis. The kings vs grizzlies result matters because it halted a run that had surpassed the club’s previous worst and came after weeks of heavy defeats.
Kings Vs Grizzlies at FedEx Forum
The game, played at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., had been scheduled to tip off at 8 p. m. ET. Sacramento, which entered the matchup with a 12-46 record, had lost all three earlier meetings with Memphis this season and was 3-26 on the road. The Grizzlies were 21-34, third in the Southwest Division, and 11-15 at home. Memphis had just come off a 136-120 loss at Miami the previous Saturday while Sacramento had fallen 139-122 at San Antonio the same day.
Russell Westbrook and Daeqwon Plowden fuel decisive fourth quarter
Russell Westbrook and two-way player Daeqwon Plowden combined for the decisive burst in the fourth quarter, each scoring 10 points in the period. The pair accounted for 20 of Sacramento’s 24 fourth-quarter points, helping the Kings pull away and never allow Memphis to get closer than seven points in the final five minutes. Westbrook finished with 25 points — his fourth game this season with at least 25 points and his first such output since Sacramento’s last win on Jan. 16. DeMar DeRozan and Plowden each finished with 19 points.
Franchise-worst 16-game skid eclipses Royals-era 14-game mark
Sacramento’s 16-game losing streak surpassed the franchise’s previous worst of 14 straight losses, a mark set when the team played in Cincinnati and was known as the Royals. The Kings had not won since beating visiting Washington 125-115 on Jan. 16. Their previous road victory came Dec. 6 at Miami, and their only road win against a Western Conference opponent this season had been Nov. 22 over Denver. The last four defeats in the streak had been especially harsh: the Kings fell by an average margin of 27 points in those games.
Pregame market, DraftKings line and SportsLine model expectations
Before the matchup, betting markets favored Memphis by 3. 5 points and set the over/under at 232. 5. The SportsLine Projection Model had simulated the contest 10, 000 times and was leaning to the Under on the point total, also indicating that one side of the spread would hit nearly 60% of the time. The model’s projection was part of a longer run the service noted in its NBA and college selections. The actual total in the game was 237 points, which exceeded the pregame over/under. The all-time series remains led by Sacramento, 59-53, although Memphis had won the previous three meetings before this result.
Coach Doug Christie, DeMar DeRozan and rookie Maxime Raynaud respond
Sacramento coach Doug Christie addressed the weight of the streak, saying, "Obviously, you do not want that with your name, " and expressing pride in how the group continued to evolve. He added a reflection on the strain the run had caused, asking rhetorically, "When's that moment going to come?" DeMar DeRozan captured the immediate relief in the locker room: "Nobody wants to lose, especially the streak that we were on. I just felt good to get that monkey off your back. " Rookie center Maxime Raynaud finished 10 points and 13 rebounds and said the victory "gives us a good momentum" and "lifts the spirits up a little bit, " adding that he was "glad that we finally broke it, and hopefully, we can start a winning streak the other way. " Players said there was no big celebration after the win and none were willing to label it a definitive springboard for the remainder of the season, though relief was plainly evident.
Research and The contributed to this report.
