The Sacramento Kings escaped the Memphis Grizzlies by the skin of their teeth, and now face the second night of a back-to-back against the Atlanta Hawks. Will they win their eighth  Catch the game at 8:30 AM Manila time on Thursday, November 24.

Away: Sacramento Kings (10-6, 4-3 Away)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: De’Aaron Fox
• SG: Kevin Huerter
• SF: Harrison Barnes
• PF: Keegan Murray
• C: Domantas Sabonis

Whew, the Kings sure like to make things tough for themselves. They had a 12-point lead against the Grizzlies with 4:23 left in the game, and then ended up having to hold on to win by four points.

They got an All-Star kind of night from De’Aaron Fox, who finished the game with 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals while making 11 of 21 shots and 5 of 8 triples. Fox’s improved shooting has made him a very difficult cover, and he will relentlessly attack Trae Young. 

Harrison Barnes, who struggled in the first few games of the season, has had a bit of a resurgence. He was their second-leading scorer in Memphis, finishing with 26 points and four rebounds while making 4 of 8 three-pointers. He’ll need to at his best again, as the Kings become extremely dangerous when he’s on his A-game.

Kevin Huerter, who had a good all-around game with 18 points, six rebounds, an assist, three steals and a block continues to shoot the lights out from deep. The Hawks will need to find a way to neutralize this threat as well.

Domantas Sabonis had another near triple-double with nine points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, and he’s a key cog to their free-flowing offense. Sabonis doesn’t always need to score big to make a difference, and his playmaking will be important again against the Hawks.

What will likely determine the game for the Kings is how their supporting cast shoots. Davion Mitchell, Keegan Murray and Terence Davis 0 of 11 three-point attempts, with many of those being open shots within the flow of the offense. A tired starting five will make bench scoring extra-important in this upcoming game.

The Kings are 6-1 ATS as the away team this season.

Home: Atlanta Hawks (10-7, 6-3 Home)

Projected Starting Five:

• PG: Trae Young
• SG: Dejounte Murray
• SF: De’Andre Hunter (day-to-day)
• PF: John Collins
• C: Clint Capela

The Hawks, as always, will be looking for a big game from their star Trae Young. His 25 points and 10 assists was big in his last game, but he also shot 10 of 22 and 1 of 7 from deep. Dejounte Murray had an even bigger problem with shooting that game, finishing with 11 points on 17 shots. The Kings have capable guard defenders in Fox and Mitchell.

Another cause for concern for Atlanta’s ability to defend Fox and Huerter. Young and Murray allowed Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland to combine for 57 points, which played a long way in the Cavaliers beating the Hawks 114-102. Again, it’s worth pointing out that the Kings backcourt will be tired, though, and may not be able to keep up a strong attacking pace for four quarters.

Clint Capela will need to use his size and strength to battle Domantas Sabonis as well. The Kings are bad at stopping opponents from getting offensive rebounds, so someone like Capela could thrive by creating second-chance points with his work on the boards. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Capela grab 20 or more rebounds by the end of the game.

Atlanta are 4-5 ATS at home this season.

PREDICTION:

Spread: The Kings play a high octane brand of basketball, and may be tired, but they like to keep things close even in defeat. The +6 looks good.

Over/Under: The under 239.5 looks good.