Kings vs. Hawks gameday: De’Aaron Fox is on fire, injury updates and three things to watch
The Kings will be shorthanded again when they wrap up a four-game homestand against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
DeMar DeRozan has been ruled out after missing the past two games with lower back tightness. Malik Monk is expected to be out for at least another week after missing the past four games with a right ankle sprain. Domantas Sabonis, who is also dealing with lower back tightness, is listed as doubtful after missing Saturday’s game.
The Kings (8-6) are coming off a 121-117 win over the Utah Jazz. De’Aaron Fox scored 49 to will his team to a win over Utah just 24 hours after erupting for a franchise-record 60 points in an overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. After Monday’s game, the Kings will have three days off before they visit the Los Angeles Clippers in an NBA Cup game on Friday, so DeRozan and Sabonis will have some time to recuperate.
The Hawks (6-8) will be on the second night of a back-to-back after opening a four-game road trip with a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. The Hawks lost four of six and seven of 11 to start the season. They posted back-to-back wins over the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards before losing to the Blazers.
Here are three things to watch in Monday’s game.
Atlanta’s offense/defense
Atlanta has been pretty good offensively, but defense has been a different story.
The Hawks are seventh in scoring (117.2 ppg) and 13th in field-goal percentage (.468) despite ranking 19th in 3-point shooting (.346) and turnovers (15.7). They are 18th in opponent field-goal percentage (.468), 25th in defensive rating (116.4), 28th in opponent points per game (120.8) and 30th in opponent 3-point percentage (.395).
Trae Young is averaging 23.4 points and 11.3 assists. He is shooting a career-low 38.1% from the field and 34.2% from 3-point range while committing 4.7 turnovers per game.
De’Andre Hunter averages 19.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, but he has appeared in only three games this season. He scored 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting in Friday’s win over the Wizards but was held out of Sunday’s game due to right knee injury management.
Jalen Johnson is averaging 18.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists, but he is shooting a career-low 46.1% from the field. His 3-point shooting has dipped from 35.5% last season to 30.6% this season.
Dyson Daniels (15.3 ppg), Zaccharie Risacher (11.6 ppg), Onyeka Okongwu (11.5 ppg), Clint Capela (11.5 ppg) and Garrison Mathews (10.4 ppg) are also scoring in double figures. Risacher, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, is shooting 36.9% from the field, 28.3% from 3-point range and 63.4% at the foul line.
Fire Fox
Fox is seventh in the NBA in scoring after raising his average from 24.5 points to 28.9 over the past two games. Only two other players have scored 109 points over a two-game stretch: Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant.
Fox is shooting 50.9% from the field, 34.5% from 3-point range and a career-high 84.2% at the free-throw line on a career-best 6.8 attempts per game despite dealing with a season-long injury to the pinkie finger on his shooting hand.
Fox went 22 of 35 overall, 6 of 10 from 3-point range and 10 of 11 at the foul line in Friday’s 60-point performance against the Timberwolves. He was 16 of 30 from the field, 3 of 4 from long distance and 14 of 19 at the stripe in Saturday’s 49-point game against the Jazz.
Supporting cast
Trey Lyles started at center with Sabonis out of the lineup on Saturday. He responded with a season-high 17 points, going 6 of 9 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range.
Kevin Huerter can also help the Kings get through a rough stretch with DeRozan, Monk and Sabonis sidelined due to injuries. Huerter was held to four points in Friday’s loss to the Timberwolves, but he had a season-high 22 against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and 18 against the Jazz on Saturday.
What the Kings really need are some big games from Keegan Murray, who is averaging 13.2 points and a career-high 8.1 rebounds. Murray has already posted six double-doubles this season, but over the past six games, he has averaged 12.4 points while going 24 of 60 (.400) from the field and 9 of 33 (.273) from 3-point range.
Hawks at Kings
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Kings -2.5
Over/under: 234.5
Injury report
Hawks: Not yet submitted.
Kings: DOUBTFUL — Domantas Sabonis (back). OUT — Devin Carter (shoulder); DeMar DeRozan (back); Malik Monk (ankle).
Sacramento Kings schedule
Nov. 18 vs. Atlanta Hawks
Nov. 22 at Los Angeles Clippers
Nov. 24 vs. Brooklyn Nets
Nov. 25 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Nov. 27 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
