The Sacramento Kings play host to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night in a showdown with major playoff implications, from the Golden 1 Center. The Bulls sit in ninth-place in the Eastern Conference standings, while the Kings sit in seventh in the West, though 6.5 games separate these two overall. About a month ago, the Kings came away with an eight-point win in Chicago, as they look to replicate that on their own home court. The Kings have actually won four in a row in this series and six of the last seven, as they aim to continue their recent dominance against the Bulls.

Kings Happy To Return Home

After playing six of their last eight games away from home, the Kings will be happy to be back on friendly soil in this one before heading to Los Angeles. With wins in four of their last six, a slow start to the season has them looking stronger and stronger of late, especially with their last win coming against Minnesota. With a 16-10 home record, they’ll be feeling confident about grabbing another win, especially after beating the Bulls in Chicago about a month ago. With plenty of reasons to be confident in this matchup, there’s little doubt that anything less than a win would be a disappointment for this group. Only sitting a game back of fifth-place in the Western Conference standings, it’s becoming more and more clear that they can’t let opportunities like this one pass them by.

Even though they’ll be favored in this one, there is one key injury that fans will want to keep an eye on. De’Aaron Fox (knee) is questionable for this one and after missing the last few games, will need to find a way to work his way back into the lineup. As the leader of this group, his presence is crucial.

As mentioned, Fox (26.9 ppg) has established himself as one of the best guards in the league and without him, it could spell trouble for the Kinfs. Domantas Sabonis (19.9 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 8.4 apg) has been elite in the frontcourt and much like Vucevic being the x-factor in this one for the Bulls, he’ll be the x-factor for the Kings. His ability to dominate the glass on both ends is key, as well as setting up shots for those around him. If the Kings can catch fire from three-point range at home, they have a great chance to grab the win in this one.

Bulls Battling Inconcistencies

The Bulls have struggled to put together winning streaks this season and having not won back-to-back games since early February, they know it’s time to find wins. Going on the road to the West Coast won’t make things easy for this group and with a handful of tough road games coming up next, this is one they have to fight through. It doesn’t help matters that they have a losing record on the road. Having just lost to the Bucks the last time out too, it remains to be seen where their confidence stands at this point. The talent exists but between injuries and an overall lack of cohesion, for whatever reason, this team looks destined for an early exit from the playoffs.

It doesn’t help that in addition to going on the road, the Bulls also have a number of injuries to worry about too. Zach LaVine (ankle) and Lonzo Ball (knee) are both out for the season, as is Patrick Williams (foot), making it three starters they’re without. In addition, Alex Caruso (hamstring), who has been a key piece in the rotation, is questionable.

The Bulls have struggled at times on the offensive but against a Sacramento team that has struggled, especially defending the three-point shot, there is an avenue towards success. The Bulls love hitting the offense glass but against a Sacramento team that has some size, they might not have the luxury of getting as many second-chance points as usual. DeMar DeRozan (22.7 ppg) continues to lead the way but Nikola Vucevic (17.9 ppg, 10.7 rpg) has the potential be the x-factor. His size and ability to stretch the floor on the offensive end is key, and should open up scoring lanes for some of the younger guards in the rotation. They’ll continue to need to find a way to find scoring support if they want to spring this upset.