1 Decisive Matchup That Will Dictate the Kings’ Success vs. Cavaliers

Rolling off two straight wins to climb back to the .500 mark for the season, the Sacramento Kings are eyeing the chance to get another dub on Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs are fresh off a 118-110 road win against the Golden State Warriors, now traveling upstate to try and get their fifth victory of the season.

Things were off to a rocky start to the season after the Kings lost All-NBA G De’Aaron Fox to an ankle injury. Without him, the offense was stagnant, sloppy, and couldn’t get into a groove. However, a step up from his All-NBA partner in C Domantas Sabonis has mended some of those issues. In the Kings’ past two wins, he’s averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists.

Without Fox, there becomes more of an urgency for Sabonis to be this team’s most reliable initiator. His elite ability to score on the interior, make plays, and generate open for his teammates is a key part of what made this offense as successful as it was in the 2022-23 season. For this team to score at an efficient level without De’Aaron, they have to lean into their All-NBA big.

We can’t see showings like we did in his second matchup against the Houston Rockets, a game in which he only attempted four shots on the night. Sabonis has to be more aggressive and be the unquestioned leader of this team for the near future.

It’s what makes tonight’s matchup against Cavaliers bigs Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen so intriguing. Both players present a difficult challenge for Sabonis with their stout size and defensive ability, which could pose problems for a Kings team that will be forced to rely on their big man a bit more than usual.

There are some signs of optimism, as the Kings managed to take home wins in both of their games against the Cavaliers last season, one of them even without De’Aaron in the lineup. Sacramento has also won seven of their past nine games against Cleveland.

Sabonis and the Kings will have a ton of opportunity on their hands tonight as they face the Cavaliers at 7 PM PT in the Golden One Center.

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