2 Pivotal Keys for Kings to Secure Much-Needed Win vs. Bulls
There's a big night ahead for the Sacramento Kings on Monday. After suffering from a mediocre 5-5 stretch across their past 10, this team needs a jolt of energy before the stakes get any higher in the last stint of the regular season. The Chicago Bulls are coming into town, a team that Sacramento has taken care of consistently across their past four meetings.
The Kings are hanging on by a thread in the race for a top-six seed in the Western Conference, currently placing 6th, a game back from landing in the 8th seed. Sacramento needs to start racking up some wins before they drop to the Play-In Tournament and damage their postseason hopes. While playoff home-court advantage is becoming increasingly out of reach, a strong late-season surge could change effectively change that.
Headed into tonight's game, here are two keys the victory the Kings will need to dial into to light the beam:
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Force Mistakes on Defense
While the Bulls have been one of the more underwhelming teams of the 2023-24 season, their turnover numbers have remained surprisingly low over the year. With around 20 games left in their season, Chicago is second in the league for the least amount of turnovers a night with 12.4 per. While it does stem from a 27th-best team assist average, showcasing a lack of overall ball movement, this team also does limit their giveaways and mistakes.
For Sacramento to take advantage of their matchup, things have to look improved on the defensive end. De'Aaron Fox being placed back into the lineup could be a big help for their efforts in creating turnovers, but his playing status isn't confirmed ahead of Monday's matchup.
The Kings' offense has been the strength of this unit this season, as it was last year, but generating those extra turnovers on defense will be crucial in getting a few extra looks on the other end. If the Kings can do so while limiting their own, it makes the job of bringing home a W that much easier.
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Play Through Domantas Sabonis
When taking a step back to look at the Bulls' roster, they hold some impactful players on the perimeter, as well as some positive defenders, but also have a small and easily exploitable frontcourt on the defensive end. DeMar DeRozan has always been viewed as a lackluster defender, also standing 6'6 listed as a power forward, and center Nikola Vucevic isn't the most impactful lockdown either.
As a result, it's a natural mismatch for Chicago when they're up against a talent like Domantas Sabonis. While Sacramento has seen a bit of trouble in the standings, Sabonis has still been stuffing the stat sheet like he has this entire season. In his last ten games, he's averaged 21.0 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 9.8 assists. The impact he provides on the glass, as a playmaker, and scorer on the interior is a daunting task to stop for any opposing defense, especially a team like the Bulls.
It could be a big night for Sabonis when you consider the circumstances, and the Kings will need his elite production to maintain control of this game. He's posted a triple-double during his last three games against Chicago and has an opportunity to keep that streak going on Monday night. If Domas starts to get hot during this contest, it might quickly become too much for Chicago to keep up with.
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