The Kings venture to Memphis to face off against the Grizzlies. The last time these teams met, Tyreke Evans nailed a halfcourt shot at the buzzer and Donte Greene was unmasked as a psychic. Tyreke is injured, and Donte has used his psychic ability for evil. So who knows what hijinks will occur?
The Grizzlies are without their own star, Rudy Gay, who won't be back for another couple weeks. But they landed Shane Battier at the deadline, giving up Hasheem Thabeeeeeet and a pick. Battier figures to slide right in and do the exact opposite of Gay: defend a bunch, shot only when required. In the interim, Zach Randolph will continue to be the focal point of the Memphis offense. That means the Kings need to hit the defensive glass hard and that Jason Thompson needs to stay out of foul trouble. Expect Darnell Jackson to earn some burn.
In the backcourt, Marcus Thornton hopes to build off a really solid debut (14 points) and continue to find a comfort level with the system. Beno Udrih is vital in this game, as Mike Conley is one of the best thieves in the league, and Memphis has an incredible turnover creation rate this season. Beno's ability to get the team in their sets, shooting open looks without coughing up the ball -- that's really, really important. The Kings had 18 turnovers in Charlotte, too many. If they play the same way against the team looking to force turnovers like Memphis does, that number could easily reach up toward 25.
Game threads at 5 PM Pacific and 6:30. Come on Kings! Bring a win home.