The Memphis Grizzlies aim to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 18 games and pick up their eighth straight win over the Sacramento Kings on Thursday. The Kings were one of the biggest surprises in the NBA to start the season, winning five of their first six games, but they've dropped two straight and need a victory to split their four-game road trip. The Grizzlies have won eight straight meetings in Memphis dating to Feb. 20, 2009.
The Grizzlies wrapped up a three-game road trip with their first loss, falling 93-92 at Milwaukee on Friday, but bounced back to open the current four-game homestand with a 107-102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. "All wins are good. I don't think we played great," Memphis coach Dave Joerger told reporters. "First game back from a road trip, sometimes you have a little bit of a hangover." The Kings won their first three road games for the first time since the 1995-96 season but have since dropped two straight away from home, including a 106-98 loss at Dallas on Tuesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN California (Sacramento), SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE KINGS (5-3): Sacramento's hot start could have been even more impressive had the Kings not squandered a 24-point lead at Dallas, matching its largest blown lead in 14 years. The Kings played that game without starting point guard Darren Collison, who sat out with a sore shoulder and is day-to-day. Collison (14.7 points) is the team's No. 3 scorer behind swingman Rudy Gay (22.8 points, 7.3 rebounds) and big man DeMarcus Cousins (22.1 points, 11.1 rebounds).
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (7-1): Memphis boasts one of the best post duos in the league in center Marc Gasol (17.8 points, 7.5 rebounds) and forward Zach Randolph (16.6 points, 10.8 rebounds), and the tandem should make Cousins work at the defensive end. The backcourt duo of Mike Conley (15.9 points, 5.6 assists) and Courtney Lee (15.2 points) also are scoring in double digits, and small forward Tony Allen is an outstanding defender. The Grizzlies had not gotten much out of their bench until the win over the Lakers in which Beno Udrih put up 16 points and fellow reserve Kosta Koufos added 14 and Memphis' second unit outscored Los Angeles' reserves 38-14.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Sacramento is the only team in the league that has yet to allow an opposing player to score 25 or more points.
2. Randolph has notched double-doubles in six of the Grizzlies' eight games and is the only Memphis player who has scored in double digits in every contest.
3. Sacramento's 5-3 start is its best since the 2006-07 campaign, and the Kings haven't won six of their first nine since 2002-03.