Here is the latest news live from Sleep Train Arena:
- The Sacramento Kings (19-35) try to get back on the right path tonight at Sleep Train Arena as they take on the high-powered Memphis Grizzlies (41-14). Newly hired head coach George Karl is doing his best to learn this Kings team on the fly and make them competitive over the final 28 games of the season. Sacramento has three home games in a row before heading east for a season-long eight-game road trip. “You just have a blessing of a 15-game road trip and three of the best teams in the NBA playing you in the same experimental stage, but it’s going to be great,” Karl said in a tongue-and-cheek manner.
- Darren Collison is out again tonight due to a strained right hip flexor. The 27-year-old point guard will miss his sixth straight game and visited a specialist in Los Angeles earlier this week. While there is no update on his status, the veteran has had to learn coach Karl’s new system from the sidelines. “His speed is kind of the type of point guard I like,” Karl said. I like the game to happen before the defense sets. Ray (McCallum) can do that, but Darren, I think is probably a little bit better at that.”
- DeMarcus Cousins has proven to be the Kings’ best player, but he has struggled all season long with turnovers. The All-Star center is averaging a league-leading 4.5 miscues per game, which is something Karl would like to see him work on. “I talked to Cuz today about his turnovers,” Karl said. “He leads the league in turnovers and we’d like to get them down. We’d like to challenge him in the last 25-30 games of the season to have better decision making.”
- Every team that faces off with the Kings knows that they have to game plan for Cousins. The 24-year-old center has become a force in his fifth NBA season and the opposing coaches are taking notice. “We got to try to defend him without fouling him,” Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said. “He’s going to do some crazy stuff that a guy at his position is not supposed to be able to do. Get a rebound, bring it up, go coast to coast, and you can’t just go, ‘That was luck.’ Because it wasn’t luck, and our guys know that.”
- The Grizzlies will be without 38-year-old Vince Carter who is out with a left foot tendon injury.
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