SACRAMENTO -- One down, five to go.
On their longest homestand of the season, the Sacramento Kings have an opportunity to make up some ground in the Western Conference standings. After a blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Kings play host to red hot Philadelphia 76ers squad that is coming of a big win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Aided by a huge bench performance, the Kings rolled over the Hawks for a 135-113 victory last time out. The rookie tandem of Harry Giles and Marvin Bagley combined for 37 points and 19 rebounds off the bench to help Sacramento extend their home win streak to five games.
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SIGN UP HERE Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid sparked Philly in their 113-104 victory over the Warriors. The Sixers currently have the third best record in the Eastern Conference and they're 7-2 over their last nine games.
Kings Pregame Live on NBC Sports California begins at 6:30 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 7:00. All coverage can be seen on the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.
Sacramento continues their six-game homestand Monday when they host the San Antonio Spurs. Houston, Miami, and Phoenix will follow over the next nine days.
Line
NBA
76ers by 3
Projected Lineups
Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Iman Shumpert
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Willie Cauley-Stein
76ers
PG Ben Simmons
SG Jimmy Butler
SF Corey Brewer
PF Mike Muscala
C Joel Embiid
Injury Report
Kings
No injuries to report.
76ers
PF/SF Wilson Chandler (quad) out, SG J.J. Redick (rest) out, PG Markelle Fultz (shoulder) out, SG Zhaire Smith (foot) out, C Justin Patton (foot) out.
Rotation Outlook
Kings
Dave Joerger's squad has a tall task when they take on the 76ers Saturday evening. The trio of Embiid, Simmons, and Butler all create unique matchup issues, although without Redick roaming the perimeter and hoisting 3-pointers, the Kings might be able to collapse the lane and make life difficult.
The second unit caught fire for Sacramento in their win over the Hawks, outscoring their opponent's bench 80-49. Every button Joerger pushed seemed to be the right one as the reserves helped change the outcome of the game.
Giles is coming off his best game as a pro. The 20-year-old scored 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and added seven rebounds in 21 minutes against the Hawks on Wednesday.
76ers
Brett Brown's squad comes in shorthanded. With both Redick and Chandler sitting, they'll need to find someone to shoot from the perimeter. It won't come from first-time All-Star, Ben Simmons, who is 0-for-1 from behind the arc on the season and has yet to hit a 3-ball in his two years in the league.
Embiid is a beast in the paint. It took a while for the 7-footer to get healthy enough to dominate the game, but the 24-year-old has arrived. He's fresh off a 26-point, 20-rebound performance against the Warriors and he was just named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January.
The Sixers rank fourth in the league in scoring at 115.6 points per game and 21st in points allowed at 111.9. Philly ranks 14th in 3-point attempts, but 11.3 of their 31.8 attempts per game come from the tandem of Redick and Chandler.