Kings coach Reggie Theus said his team would be hungry.
"Very hungry," Theus emphasized hours before the Kings defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 100-95 at Arco Arena on Wednesday night.
Driving the Kings' appetite was a need to log their first win after opening the season 0-4 on an arduous trip which was plagued by languid play and defensive lapses. Neither of those appeared to be an issue in Wednesday's home opener at Arco.
Kevin Martin led the Kings with 33 points, while John Salmons added 21.
The Kings outrebounded the Grizzlies 36-32. The Kings led 81-68 entering the fourth quarter and built their lead to 19. However, they struggled without center Spencer Hawes, who fouled out with 5:25 remaining.
With Memphis firing successfully from three-point range, the Grizzlies narrowed the lead to 95-91 with just under a minute to play. Salmons came up with a big play on a loose-ball scramble, dunking the ball with 29.7 seconds to go for the 97-91 lead.
Memphis would play the foul game from there, putting Kings players on the free-throw line, where they finished 16 for 23 on the night.
The Grizzlies were 11 for 23 from three-point range, with O.J. Mayo leading his team with 28 points.
The Kings dominated in the paint, outscoring the Grizzlies 44-26. The Kings' bench contributed 23 points, with rookies Jason Thompson adding 11 points and Bobby Brown getting 10 points.
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