Kings 132, Grizzlies 122
SACRAMENTO, CA – FEBRUARY 24: Jake LaRavia #33 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball during the game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 24, 2025 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 License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
Sacramento came into tonight’s game looking to end a 4-game skid against a Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies squad. After suffering four consecutive losses, of which three were blowouts, it was imperative for the Kings to turn things around and continue to maintain separation between Dallas and Phoenix.
The first quarter didn’t see the Kings get off too the best of starts. Domantas Sabonis suffered a hit to face and started bleeding from the top of his eye. Stitches were required and Jonas Valanciunas had to hold down the fort in the mean time. Zach LaVine twisted his ankle and went to locker room for a brief period, but he was able to return by the next quarter.
The two star Kings players going down didn’t hurt the home team too much as the team finished the quarter on an 10-0 run. Jake LaRavia looked to be out for revenge against his former team tonight as he helped rally the team on the run with his usual hustle and defensive plays. Devin Carter joined him by grabbing a couple steals and keeping the defensive pressure up. The Kings played extremely to end the quarter, Memphis had to call a timeout with less than a minute remaining to put a hold on their momentum. The quarter ended with a much-welcomed 37-26 lead for the Kings.
The activity on the defensive end carried over into the second quarter. Sacramento continued to get their hands to errant Grizzlies passes, forcing steals and racking up several deflections in the quarter. The defensive pressure made it tough for Memphis to get anything going on offense. Sabonis started to get going once he got back in the game, looking the best he has since returning from his hamstring injury. He looked comfortable scoring in the post, even against long defenders like Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. He did a great job setting up his teammates just like we’ve become accustomed to seeing him do.
Sabonis’ home return was short-lived, though, as less than a minute into the quarter, Sabonis suffered another injury. This time, it was a badly rolled ankle that looked scary the moment it happened. The Kings defense faded early in the third quarter, giving up 17 points in less than four minutes. Desmond Bane caught fire to provide the bulk of the Grizzlies offensive firepower in that stretch. Bane dropped 13 points with shots coming from all over the court, including from the logo. The Kings quickly stymied the Memphis run with some triples of their own via Keon Ellis and Malik Monk. The rest of the quarter was played at a slow pace with both teams grinding their offense out and seeing a large chunk of points come from the free throw line.
The fourth quarter started off with similar defensive intensity to what we saw in the first half. LaRavia and Carter’s defensive pressure paired well with Monk and LaVine’s scoring punch. Valanciunas’ offensive rebounding rounded things out. This lineup opened the game up to a 17 point fourth quarter lead for Sacramento. The Kings seemed to “outwork” Memphis on the defensive end tonight. On the night, the Kings had a combined 18 steals and blocks compared to 16 for Memphis. Bane continued his hot streak and practically single-handedly willed Memphis back into the game. Bane’s 44 points on a wild 7 for 7 from deep gave the Kings a scare as the Grizzlies cut a 21 point lead to 12, but the Kings persevered and got the win to end their losing streak.
It felt like as though there was a higher level of synergy and cohesion with the team tonight, with a clear sense of urgency to get a win. It’s always confusing when you see the Kings play as poorly as they did last week as the talent is clearly there to be a competitive team on a nightly basis. We will gladly take wins as they come though. You have to hope Sabonis’ injury isn’t serious as they will obviously need him as the play-in push marches on. The schedule only gets tougher here as Sacramento will face off against Cleveland for the first time all season on Wednesday night.
Kings Scribe 
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