Kings gameday live: Will Bagley stay in starting lineup vs. Heat?; Davis out of rotation
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III wasn’t even in the team’s rotation at the start of the season, but now he’s in the starting lineup and doesn’t appear to be going back to the bench anytime soon.
Bagley has started the past three games and will likely be in the starting lineup again when the Kings play the Miami Heat on Sunday at Golden 1 Center. Interim coach Alvin Gentry said he turned to Bagley in hopes of improving the team’s rebounding, adding that he wants to establish some continuity after the Kings used 14 different starting lineups over the first 34 games.
“We’ve been struggling with rebounding,” Gentry said. “We’re a small team when we play the way we’ve been playing. Marvin’s rebounding numbers have been really good, so we stuck him in there and I think his numbers continue to be good. … We’ll continue to play that group and hopefully our rebounding will get better because we’ve got more size out there.”
Gentry will have another lineup decision to make when the Kings (15-22) play the Heat after starting center Richaun Holmes entered NBA health and safety protocols Saturday. Gentry will likely start Alex Len or Damian Jones in place of Holmes.
The Heat (23-13) has its own problems with 11 players out for Sunday’s game. Bam Adebayo (thumb), Dewayne Dedmon (knee), Markieff Morris (neck), KZ Okpala (wrist) and Victor Oladipo (knee) are out due to injuries. Marcus Garrett, Udonis Haslem, Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent are out due to health and safety protocols.
Kings guard Terence Davis is questionable after missing Friday’s 112-96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks because of left ankle soreness, but Gentry indicated Davis was the odd man out of the rotation with other players recently returning from protocols.
“It’s a tough situation, but I think it’s tough to play 10 guys. I think it’s tough to play 11 guys,” Gentry said prior to Friday’s game. “You have to make a decision. That doesn’t mean he won’t play or won’t be in the lineup again, but right now I think it’s very difficult.”
Davis stepped into the starting lineup for six games in early December. The 24-year-old guard scored 23 and 28 points in back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Clippers during that stretch.
Davis missed five games after contracting COVID-19 for the second time in mid-December. He returned in a backup role to score 15 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on Dec. 26 and 11 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 28, but he did not play when Davion Mitchell returned from health and safety protocols in Wednesday’s victory over the Mavericks.
“We’ve got all of our guys back and he’s played well for us — he really has — but at some stage you have to make a decision, because I don’t think you can play 11 guys, so you have to make a tough decision and we made a tough decision. … That doesn’t mean it’s going to remain that way for the rest of the season.”
Starting at center
Gentry said Jones will start at center with Holmes out due to health and safety protocols.
Jones, who will be making his first start of the season, has been productive in an increased role recently. Over the past four games, he averaged 10.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. He had 23 points and eight rebounds in a win over the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 19.
“I think what you see with him is you get a lot of energy,” Gentry said. “He’s a good roller. He’s a good runner in transition, so we get some things like that. He’s not a bad guy to switch out on even if it’s a perimeter player. He’s been pretty good at that, so he’s earned the minutes that he’s playing.”
Miami Heat at Sacramento Kings
When: 3 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sports 1140 KHTK
Odds: Heat -3.5
Over/under: 222.5
Injury report
Heat: OUT — Bam Adebayo (thumb); Dewayne Dedmon (knee); Marcus Garrett (health and safety protocols); Udonis Haslem (health and safety protocols); Markieff Morris (neck); KZ Okpala (wrist); Victor Oladipo (knee); Duncan Robinson (health and safety protocols); Max Strus (health and safety protocols); P.J. Tucker (health and safety protocols); Gabe Vincent (health and safety protocols).
Kings: QUESTIONABLE — Terence Davis (ankle). OUT — Richaun Holmes (health and safety protocols); Robert Woodard II (non-COVID illness).
This story was originally published January 2, 2022 at 4:00 AM.
