SACRAMENTO -- The Sacramento Kings are in a tailspin and in desperate need of a win when they take on the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon. Losers of four-straight and 8-of-9, the Kings get reinforcements in the form of DeMarcus Cousins who missed Friday’s game due to suspension.
The Kings came out flat against the Magic last time out and fell behind 12-0 to start the game. Kosta Koufos scored a season-high 19 points and Marco Belinelli dropped in 17, but Sacramento stumbled again on their home floor where they are now just 14-18 on the season.
Utah remains in the race for the eight spot in the Western Conference, but they trail both the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets by three games coming into Sunday’s game. They can’t afford to lose opportunities like this down the stretch if they have any chance to track down the teams in front of the them.
LINE:
Jazz by 2
WHERE THEY STAND:
Kings: 25-39, third place in Pacific
Jazz: 30-35, third place in Northwest
MATCHUP TO WATCH:
DeMarcus Cousins vs. Derrick Favors -- Cousins has held a grudge against Favors since he went two spots above him in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Kings All-Star should have fresh legs after taking the last few days off and maybe even a little extra motivation. Favors is having his best season, averaging 16.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
INJURY REPORT:
Kings: SG Ben McLemore (right ring finger) out.
Jazz: G Alec Burks (leg) out, PG Dante Exum (knee) out.
SERIES HISTORY:
This is the third and final matchup between these two teams this season with the Kings holding a 2-0 lead. Utah leads the all-time series 98-81 and holds a 75-48 advantage during the Sacramento-era.
QUOTABLE:
“It’s the NBA – you can’t really make excuses. We know the situation we’re dealing with but at the same time we’ve been a part of similar experiences on different teams and you’ve got to go out there and try to win a game.” -Darren Collison following the Kings’ loss to Orlando on Friday night
