
SACRAMENTO -- Welcome home, now get back to work. After playing six games in six different cities over a nine day stretch, the Kings continue their brutal schedule Tuesday evening at Golden 1 Center.
It's another three games in four nights scenario for Sacramento when they face the Houston Rockets for a second time this week.
The Kings showed grit in their win over the Spurs Sunday evening in San Antonio. After blowing a big lead, Sacramento used an 8-0 rally to finish off the Spurs on their homecourt. The win moved the Kings to 38-39, giving the team an outside shot at finishing at the .500 mark on the season.
[RELATED: How to watch Kings-Rockets online and on MyTeams app]
After beating the Kings on Saturday evening, the Rockets have had a break in the schedule. Houston is currently tied with the Trail Blazers for the third seed in the Western Conference standings with five games remaining on the season. With the Utah Jazz just two games back, Houston has plenty to play for.
Kings Pregame Live on NBC Sports California begins at 6:30 p.m., with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. All coverage can be seen on the MyTeams by NBC Sports app.
The Kings return home after a long trip to face a well rested Rockets team Tuesday evening at Golden 1 Center. They'll face the Cavs, Jazz, Pelicans and Blazers to finish off the 2018-19 schedule.
NBA
Line
Rockets by 5.5
Projected Lineups
Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Harrison Barnes
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Willie Cauley-Stein
Rockets
PG Chris Paul
SG James Harden
SF Eric Gordon
PF P.J. Tucker
C Clint Capela
Injury Report
Kings
PG Yogi Ferrell (ankle) questionable, C Harry Giles (thigh bruise) out.
Rockets
SG Gerald Green (adductor) questionable.
Rotation Outlook
Kings
Dave Joerger's group is showing resiliency late in the season. Despite being eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend, they still have a goal of finishing .500 on the season. They'll need to go 3-2 over the final five games to hit the mark.
Seven players scored in double-figures in the Kings' win over the Spurs on Sunday evening. They'll need a similar effort if they hope to snap a three-game losing streak to the Rockets.
Stopping James Harden is a tall task for any team, but the Kings can't afford to give up another 50-point triple-double from the reigning MVP if they hope to come away with a win.
Harry Giles is out for a seventh consecutive game with a thigh contusion. The team has not ruled out a late season return by the rookie.
Rockets
Mike D'Antoni's group is finishing the season strong. They've won 16 of their previous 19 games and look primed for a long postseason run.
The Rockets get Kenneth Faried back in the fold after a three-game absence. The veteran power forward is having a nice career revitalization after being put on ice over the last three seasons in Denver and Brooklyn.
[RELATED: Kings set new goal of finishing season over .500, with playoff hopes over]
Houston has plenty of plenty of scoring options, which the Kings learned on Saturday. In addition to Harden's huge game, Capella dropped in 24 points and 15 rebounds. Paul added 22 and Gordon dropped in 17.
These two teams were tied at 98-98 with 7:42 remaining in the fourth quarter on Saturday, but the Rockets ended on a 21-10 run. Do the Kings have enough left in the tank to avoid a similar fate?