Needing a win to finish over .500 on their four game road trip, the Sacramento Kings venture to Chicago Monday evening to face a Bulls team in complete disarray. Bulls management relieved head coach Fred Hoiberg of his duties last week and his replacement, Jim Boylen, is off to a rocky start.
The Kings are coming off a disappointing performance in Indiana on Saturday. The Pacers snapped Sacramento's three-game win streak with a 107-97 victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. After a fast start to the game, the Kings cooled off in the second half and Indiana took advantage.
Chicago has lost 12 of their 14 games coming into Monday. According to reports, the Bulls held players only and team meetings on Sunday in an attempt to work out differences with their new coach. Whether that was enough to put them back on the right path is yet to be seen.
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Following the game, the Kings return home for a matchup against the Timberwolves on Wednesday. They'll host the Golden State Warriors on Friday evening before heading out for a back-to-back in Dallas and Minnesota on Sunday and Monday.
Line
Kings by 2
NBA
Projected Lineups
Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Iman Shumpert
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Willie Cauley-Stein
Bulls
PG Ryan Arcidiacono
SG Justin Holiday
SF Zach LaVine
PF Lauri Markannen
C Wendell Carter
Injury Report
Kings
No injuries to report.
Bulls
SG Denzel Valentine (ankle) OUT, PG Kris Dunn (knee) expected to play, PF Bobby Portis (knee) expected to play.
Rotation Outlook
Kings: Dave Joerger's team is at full strength coming into Chicago. Iman Shumpert should have fresh legs after sitting out Saturday to rest. He'll likely go back to the starting lineup, which allows Joerger to use Bogdan Bogdanovic in a super-sub role.
With 15 healthy bodies, two players will be inactive for Sacramento. Skal Labissiere and Ben McLemore are the most likely candidates.
Two-way player Troy Williams is quickly approaching his allotted 45 days with the Kings. Once he reaches the mark, Sacramento will either have to send him to the G-League or clear a roster spot and sign him to a regular contract. Williams is posting 6.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game with the Kings. He is shooting 49.3 percent from the field and knocking down 41.2 percent from long range while providing energy and defense off the bench.
Bulls: Boylen is not off to a good start in Chicago. He's 1-2 in his first three games, but he's had issues connecting with the players and getting on the same page. He gets a couple of bodies back on Monday, including Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis. Dunn has played in just one contest this season due to a knee injury and Bobby Portis missed the last 23 games, also with a knee injury.
The Bulls rank 29th in the league in scoring at 102.3 points per game and they are 23rd in points allowed, giving up 113 a night.