Kings notebook: De’Aaron Fox returns to lineup, but loss to Grizzlies is new low
There was a sequence in the first quarter when Marvin Bagley III poked away a pass to Jaren Jackson Jr., gathered the loose ball and dribbled up court to lead a fast break. Bagley passed to a slashing Harrison Barnes, who threw a lob to Richaun Holmes for an easy layup.
That was it. That was the highlight of the night.
Very little is coming easily for the Kings, who have lost three in a row and four of their last five after falling 119-115 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at Fed Ex Forum.
Jackson scored 18 points for the Grizzlies (11-19). Jae Crowder had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Barnes scored 25 points to lead the Kings (12-17), who have played 12 of their last 16 games on the road.
Point guard De’Aaron Fox returned to the starting lineup to score 22 points. Fox came off the bench in the previous two games after returning from a 17-game absence due to a severely sprained ankle.
Holmes had 18 points and 12 rebounds. Buddy Hield was held to eight points on 3-of-18 shooting.
The Kings outscored the Grizzlies 14-7 to start the game, but they found themselves trailing 23-21 at the end of the first quarter. Memphis went up by as many as 16 points in the second period and led 60-50 at the half.
The Grizzlies shot 47.8 percent from the field and made 10 of 22 from beyond the arc in the first half. The Kings shot 39.6 percent and made only 3 of 13 from beyond the arc.
Sacramento made a run to get within three on a 3-pointer by Barnes midway through the third quarter, but Memphis responded with a 9-0 run to reestablish a double-digit advantage.
The Grizzlies led 112-100 with two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Kings stormed back to get within three on a 3-pointer by Trevor Ariza with 5 seconds remaining, but it was already too late.
Hot and cold
The Kings need more consistency from Hield, who has been hot and cold from 3-point range this season.
Hield was held to seven points on 3-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-9 shooting from 3-point range in Friday’s 119-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers. He scored eight points and made just 2 of 11 from beyond the arc Saturday against the Grizzlies.
Hield was starting to look more like his old self over the previous six games, making 28 of 59 from 3-point range (.475), but that was preceded by a five-game stretch in which he made just 15 of 61 (.246) from beyond the arc.
Last season, Hield had a three-game stretch in late December in which he made 4 of 19 (.211) from 3-point range and a three-game stretch in February in which he made 7 of 24 (.292), but he didn’t have the kind of prolonged shooting slumps he has encountered this season.
In and Out
Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic missed his second game in a row due to right ankle soreness. The Kings are 0-4 this season when Bogdanovic does not play.
Kings coach Luke Walton said Bogdanovic was feeling better after being held out of a 119-105 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday, but he was still experiencing some discomfort.
“He is doing better, but not well enough to get out there and play, so we’ll reevaluate him when we get home,” Walton said.
Ariza rejoined the team in Memphis after missing Friday’s game due to personal reasons.
‘Athletic freak’
The NBA was still buzzing about Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant after he took flight for a soaring dunk attempt over Kevin Love in a 114-107 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
“I think everybody saw that,” Kings center Richaun Holmes said. “He’s an athletic freak.”
Fox agreed.
“That was crazy, man. His athleticism is ridiculous,” Fox said. “I don’t even want to jump like that. I wouldn’t even attempt that.”
Valanciunas sits out
Grizzlies center Jonas Valanciunas was held out due to right foot soreness. He is averaging 14 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
Valanciunas had 14 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots in Friday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he was unable to play on the second night of a back-to-back. Jaren Jackson Jr. started at center in place of Valanciunas with Jae Crowder at power forward and Solomon Hill at small forward.
Injury report
Kings: OUT — Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle).
Grizzlies: OUT — Jonas Valanciunas (foot).
Kings upcoming schedule
Dec. 23 vs. Houston Rockets, 7 p.m.
Dec. 26 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m.
Dec. 28 vs. Phoenix Suns, 6 p.m.
Dec. 31 vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 2 p.m.
Jan. 2 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 21, 2019 at 7:26 PM.
