Tony Allen

The Sacramento Kings never really made things interesting Friday in Memphis.

The Kings came out flat, and struggled offensively against the Grizzlies all night as failed to score over 17 points in the first three quarters. They managed to make things close in the fourth quarter as Travis outlaw sparked a small run that was eventually squashed by the outstanding defense of the Grizzlies.

The Kings were simply out hustled tonight as both teams played tough defense. The Grizzlies beat the Kings in almost all facets of the game; out rebounding the kings 48-43, committing two less turn overs, scoring nine more fast break points, and barley outscoring the the Kings in the paint 42-40.

Sacramento had their lowest scoring output in the first half tonight, as they only scored 30 points. They didn’t do too much better in the second half as they couldn’t find a way to compete against the Grizzlies defense. Memphis coach Lionel Hollins clearly had a great defensive scheme for the Kings, as they crowded the paint and clogged the passing lanes almost every time the Kings put the ball on the floor.

The Memphis Grizzlies had all five starters in double digit scoring tonight as the Grizzlies starting lineup shot 46.8 percent from the field. Memphis’ bench shot only 28.5 percent, leaving the team shooting 43.6 percent.

Sacramento only shot 34.1 percent from the field and only 20 percent from beyond the three point arc. Sacramento’s only bright spot was Demarcus Cousins as he had another double double with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The Kings travel to Charlotte for the second game of their back to back against the Bobcats. The Kings will need to find a way to get their offense back on track against a young Bobcats team.