De’Aaron Fox returned to the lineup, but the Kings couldn’t rediscover the winning brand of basketball that helped them get over .500 during their recent hot streak.
Jonas Valanciunas recorded a double-double to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 124-110 victory over the Kings on Sunday night at Golden 1 Center. The 6-foot-11, 265-pound center was virtually unstoppable, making 11 of 14 from the field to finish with 25 points and 12 rebounds.
Dillon Brooks had 22 points for the Grizzlies (11-11). Ja Morant had 16 points and 10 assists.
Fox had 23 points and nine assists to lead the Kings (12-14), who have lost three in a row after losing seven of eight. Rookie Tyrese Haliburton came off the bench to post 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Kings forward Harrison Barnes went around Valanciunas with ease to get a bucket on the opening possession, but the Kings looked completely out of sorts on the next several possessions. They missed their next eight shots, committed a careless turnover and paid the price, falling behind 13-2 in the opening minutes.
The Kings trailed 30-22 after going 1 of 11 from 3-point range with four turnovers in the first quarter. They fell behind by 16 before Morant even got his first basket of the game with 5:03 to play in the first half. Memphis led 62-46 at the break after holding the Kings to 37.8% shooting. Sacramento made 17 of 45 attempts from the field and just 4 of 24 (.167) from 3-point range.
The Kings cut the deficit to 11 early in the second half, but a series of 3-pointers from Grayson Allen, Valanciunas and Kyle Anderson helped the Grizzlies go up by as many as 24 late in the third quarter.
BAGLEY RULED OUT
Kings forward Marvin Bagley III missed his second game due to a sore left calf. Bagley was ruled out shortly before tipoff after being listed as questionable on the team’s injury report.
Bagley, the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft out of Duke, appeared in only 13 games last season due to injuries, but he had been healthy since recovering from COVID-19 at the start of training camp. Over the first 24 games, Bagley averaged 12.5 points and 7.4 rebounds. He is shooting 47.3% from the field and 37.3% from 3-point range.
UP NEXT
The Kings will get their first look at the Brooklyn Nets (16-12) when they continue this five-game homestand Monday, but they won’t see 10-time All-Star Kevin Durant. The former MVP will miss at least the next two games after being diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain Sunday.
Durant is averaging 29 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Nets after missing the 2019-20 season with an Achilles injury. He is shooting 52.4% from the field and a career-high 43.4% from 3-point range.
The Nets still have plenty of firepower, of course, with Kyrie Irving and James Harden, who was acquired last month in a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets. Irving is averaging 27.6 points per game. Harden is averaging 23.0 points, 11.6 assists and 8.1 rebounds.
The Kings will face the Nets again Feb. 23 when they go to Brooklyn during their upcoming five-game road trip.
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