De’Aaron Fox And The Kings Look To Bounce Back Against Portland

SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 14: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings handles the ball against Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers on January 14, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - JANUARY 14: De'Aaron Fox #5 of the Sacramento Kings handles the ball against Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers on January 14, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Sacramento Kings will look to bounce back in their home opener, as the Portland Trail Blazers make a visit to the California capital.

The Sacramento Kings are coming off of a very disappointing season debut in which they were blown out by the Phoenix Suns. A day later, the news broke that Marvin Bagley had a fractured thumb and would miss 4-6 weeks, leaving a gaping hole in Sacramento’s lineup.

The Kings are facing a great deal of early-season adversity, and things could get worse if they aren’t able to pull off an upset against a good Portland team.

The Trail Blazers are coming off of a loss of their own, a home defeat against Western Conference contending rival Denver. Portland led at the beginning of the fourth quarter but eventually lost by eight, joining the Kings at 0-1 to start the year.

Both teams will be looking to avenge those opening night losses as the Kings play host to the Trail Blazers on Friday night in downtown Sacramento.

Here’s what you need to know about tonight’s contest:

Tip-off: 7:00 PM PT
Radio: 1140 KHTK
Watch: NBC Sports California, or stream live on Fubo.tv

Betting Info: (As of 8am Friday) Sacramento opened as a surprising favorite at -1, but that number has already taken a full three and a half point swing and the Kings are now two and a half point underdogs. 85% of the public money taken thus far has been on the Trail Blazers.

(Courtesy of The Action Network)

Injury Report:

Kings:

Buddy Hield – Questionable (ankle)

Harry Giles – Out (knee)

Marvin Bagley – Out (thumb, 4-6 weeks) 

Trail Blazers

No Current Injuries

Last 5 Meetings:

4/10/19 – Blazers 136, Kings 131

1/14/19 – Kings 115, Blazers 107

1/1/19 – Blazers 113, Kings 108 (OT)

2/27/18 – Blazers 116, Kings 99

2/9/18 – Blazers 118, Kings 100

Matchup To Watch:

Both the Kings and Trail Blazers are backcourt heavy, especially with the injury to Bagley and lingering injury and rehabilitation for Jusuf Nurkic. Portland does have Hassan Whiteside, who may be the wildcard in this game for his rebounding and shot-blocking presence. Keep an eye on the Kings interior play with Dewayne Dedmon and presumed extra run for Nemanja Bjelica.

The key factor in the game will be De’Aaron Fox‘s ability to bounce back from a rough performance in the first game. He has a tall order in front of him in defending Damian Lillard, a much tougher cover than Ricky Rubio who outplayed Fox. Buddy Hield got the best of CJ McCollum last year in their matchups, outscoring his Portland counterpart 46-22 over two games. Hield will need to win that matchup in order for the Kings to have a chance at a victory.

Next. 10 Questions For The Sacramento Kings. dark

Prediction:

The Kings could really use a victory, but I don’t see it happening. The Blazers backcourt will be too much to handle and the Kings will drop to 0-2.

Trail Blazers 118, Kings 109