SACRAMENTO -- Looking to avoid a three-game losing streak, the Sacramento Kings host the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday evening in the first night of a home back-to-back. The Kings are coming off a tough 114-105 loss to the Raptors and hoping to get back in the win column.
[RELATED: Kings vs. Timberwolves live stream: Watch NBA game online on MyTeams]
Minnesota is struggling on their five-game western swing. They’ve lost four straight coming into Friday and currently sit at 4-8 on the season after a drama-filled summer.
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The pregame show on NBC Sports Bay California begins at 6:30 p.m., with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 pm.
The Kings face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday evening at Golden 1 Center and then finish off the homestand with a visit from the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.
Line: T-Wolves by 2.5
Projected Starting Lineup
NBA
Kings
PG De’Aaron Fox
SG Buddy Hield
SF Iman Shumpert
PF Nemanja Bjelica
C Willie Cauley-Stein
Timberwolves
PG Derrick Rose
SG Jimmy Butler
SF Andrew Wiggins
PF Taj Gibson
C Karl-Anthony Towns
Injury Report
Kings
SG Bogdan Bogdanovic (load management) OUT.
Timberwolves
PG Jeff Teague (knee contusion) OUT, C Justin Patton (foot) OUT.
Rotation Outlook
Kings
Coach Dave Joerger continues to shuffle his rotation. After playing Bogdan Bogdanovic 18 minutes against the Raptors, he’ll have to turn to someone else again on Friday. Bogdanovic isn’t ready to play in back-to-back games yet after missing the first 10 games of the season. Likely candidates to eat the minutes are Justin Jackson and two-way player Troy Williams.
Williams has turned heads with his strong play. He brings an energy and defensive toughness to the court that the Kings need. De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield and Willie Cauley-Stein all scored 20-plus points against the Raptors and should have solid nights again against a porous Timberwolves defense.
Timberwolves
Tom Thibodeau is going deeper to his bench than last season, when the five starters saw the bulk of the minutes each and every night. He’s now focused on a 10-man rotation with plenty of players seeing extended minutes.
Jimmy Butler is expected to play against Sacramento, which is trouble for the Kings. The veteran wing has rested certain games early in the season after missing most of training camp. Derrick Rose is having a career resurgence for Thibs, posting 18.6 points and 4.6 assists in 28.7 minutes per game.