The Sacramento Kings will aim to continue the strong start to their seven-game homestand when they host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
After starting the stretch by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, the Kings (35-33) backed it up by stunning the Cleveland Cavaliers 123-119 on Wednesday.
The latter victory was as good a win that Sacramento has produced this season, taking down the Eastern Conference pacesetters despite being without star guard Zach LaVine (personal reasons), center Domantas Sabonis (right ankle sprain) and emerging wing Jake LaRavia (illness).
Former Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan (27 points) and Malik Monk (22) starred for the underhanded Kings in their first leg of a back-to-back set.
“It was a grit, a grind,” DeRozan said. “Not having Zach, not having Jake, not having Do (Sabonis), we know we had to bring it to protect our home court. We knew it was going to be a (heck) of a game, and we just brought it.”
With three of Sacramento’s main eight players sitting out, the Kings’ lesser lights needed to offer greater support to the likes of DeRozan and Monk.
Jonas Valanciunas stepped up in countryman Sabonis’ absence, posting 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Devin Carter (16 points) and Trey Lyles (13 points, seven boards, five assists) provided an impact off the bench.
“They’re bringing energy,” DeRozan said of Sacramento’s reserves. “We started off kind of slow, but we knew shots were going to fall for us. We knew when our second group comes in, they bring a different type of energy and effort to get us going.”
DeRozan has his sights set on winning all seven of the Kings’ home games before they hit the road again. Both the Kings and Bulls stand in ninth place and in play-in position in their respective conferences.
“It’s been a long season, and we understand coming down the stretch every single game is important,” he said. “We’re home for a while and we need (to win) every single one of these games at home before we go back out on the road. It (Chicago game) is very important. We can’t have any excuses at this point. There’s a handful of games left and we need every single one of them.”
The Bulls (29-40) also will be on the second leg of a back-to-back, arriving in California on the heels of a 127-121 loss to the Suns in Phoenix on Wednesday.
The defeat was Chicago’s second in three games at the halfway point of a six-game western swing.
The Bulls fought to the line, though, slicing a 21-point third-quarter deficit down to just four points with 27 seconds to play.
“We got out in transition, we were a bit more disruptive defensively, we forced them into some misses, and they kept competing and playing,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said.
“The group’s been great as it relates to the effort and energy and they try to give each and every game.”
Josh Giddey showed no signs of rust by scoring 22 points in an impressive return from a three-game absence with an ankle injury.
His status against Sacramento, however, remains uncertain.
“We’ll see how he responds,” Donovan said. “He looked like he was moving well out there. I’ll see what the medical guys say in terms of how they feel about it, and how he (Giddey) feels coming out of the game. I think Thursday morning will tell a lot to see how the ankle and foot respond. I don’t want to see he’s definitely out, (or) he’s definitely playing.”
