Bulls at Kings
The Sacramento Kings are capable of losing to the worst team in the Western Conference at home one night and beating the best team in the league the next. The Kings will take another stab at developing some consistency when they host the Chicago Bulls, who have similar problems, on Monday.
Sacramento fell to Philadelphia and Phoenix during a three-game slide but bounced back with a 109-106 overtime triumph over the NBA-best Golden State Warriors on Saturday as DeMarcus Cousins scored six of his 32 points in the extra period and finished one assist shy of a triple-double. The star center recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in Friday's 105-103 loss to the Western Conference-worst Suns. The Bulls dropped eight of their last 14 contests and missed out on a chance at a three-game winning streak with a 121-117 overtime loss at Houston on Friday as All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler sat out to rest a heel injury. "It is tough," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters of playing without Butler. "He's a guy that's made a lot of big plays for us. He's won a lot of games for us this year just by putting the ball in his hands and letting him go out and make plays."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE BULLS (25-26): Butler, who averages 24.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists, underwent an MRI on his heel Saturday and is considered day-to-day. "Everything is centered around Jimmy," veteran guard Dwyane Wade told ESPN.com. "Guarding the other team's best player. We go to him (with) a lot of plays on the offensive end. A lot changes, of course." Wade struggled to 8-of-22 from the floor in Butler's absence but Michael Carter-Williams thrived in the spot start, recording season highs of 23 points and six assists while matching a season-best with nine rebounds.
ABOUT THE KINGS (20-31): Cousins went for 42 points on 16-of-28 shooting and added 14 rebounds at Chicago on Jan. 21, but no one else on the roster reached double figures in scoring or rebounds as Sacramento fell 102-99. Cousins got more help on Saturday, when Matt Barnes (11 points, 14 rebounds) logged a double-double and six players scored in double figures. Barnes and Anthony Tolliver combined to go 5-of-7 from 3-point range off the bench and contributed to a defensive effort that held Kevin Durant to 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting in the win.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bulls PF Cristiano Felicio (ankle) left Friday's game and is not expected to play Monday.
2. Tolliver is 14-of-25 from beyond the arc in the last six contests.
3. Chicago took the last four in the series, including a 107-102 win in the trip to Sacramento last season.