The Memphis Grizzlies take their perfect start to Northern California on Sunday night, facing a Sacramento Kings team searching for its first win of the season. Tip-off at Golden 1 Center is set for 9 p.m. ET, with Memphis carrying a 2-0 record into a matchup against a Sacramento squad that has dropped five straight games dating back to last week, including a 128-120 home loss to Portland on Saturday. The biggest question entering the night is whether the Kings can slow down a Grizzlies offense that leads the league in several early efficiency categories, or whether Memphis extends Sacramento’s skid to three games to open the season.
Grizzlies Vs Kings Game Information
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 25
- Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Venue: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
- TV/Streaming: NBA League Pass, DAZN MEM
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
Can Sacramento Stop Its Five-Game Skid?
The Kings are 0-2 to start the season and have lost five consecutive games overall, a stretch that includes a 121-96 defeat at the Clippers on Oct. 22 and Saturday’s 128-120 loss to Portland. Sacramento sits last in the Pacific Division standings at two games back of the division-leading Lakers, who are 2-0. Domantas Sabonis has carried the statistical load, averaging 18.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, while Zach LaVine leads the team in scoring at 25.0 points per game. The Kings have been outscored by double digits in three of their last four outings, a sign of how difficult the early schedule has been.
How Does Memphis Keep Its Hot Start Going?
Memphis enters 2-0 and tied with Houston atop the Southwest Division standings, riding a two-game winning streak that includes a 111-108 road win at Golden State on Saturday. Ty Jerome has been the driving force, averaging 36.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game through two contests. Cameron Boozer has anchored the glass with 12.0 rebounds per game. The Grizzlies have won three of their last four games overall, a run that began with a 104-100 win at Chicago on Oct. 10 and included a 123-103 blowout of Utah on Oct. 22, detailed in Total Apex Sports’ recap of that win.
What Do The Injury Reports Say?
Sacramento is working without three players. Ben Simmons is out recovering from right leg Achilles surgery with a projected return date of Oct. 1, 2027. Dylan Cardwell (left leg calf strain) and Maxime Raynaud (right leg knee dislocation) are both out, with a projected return of Nov. 2. Keegan Murray is listed as day-to-day with a leg and ankle issue, with a return date tied to Sunday’s game, meaning his availability is a projection until the Kings confirm it closer to tip-off.
Memphis center Zach Edey is out with a left leg ankle injury, a situation Total Apex Sports has tracked throughout camp, with a projected return date of Oct. 26. Forward Cedric Coward is day-to-day with a left arm wrist sprain, also tied to Sunday’s date. With Edey out, Memphis is expected to lean further on Boozer up front, continuing a competition for frontcourt minutes that Total Apex Sports outlined during training camp.
By The Numbers
- Points per game: Memphis 117.0, Sacramento 108.0
- Field goal percentage: Memphis 46.9%, Sacramento 44.3%
- Three-point percentage: Memphis 38.4%, Sacramento 27.1%
- Assists per game: Memphis 25.0, Sacramento 21.5
- Offensive rebounds per game: Memphis 16.5, Sacramento 10.5
- Defensive rebounds per game: Memphis 34.5, Sacramento 31.5
- Turnovers per game: Memphis 19.0, Sacramento 15.5
- Steals per game: Memphis 7.5, Sacramento 7.5
- Blocks per game: Memphis 7.0, Sacramento 1.0
Key Matchup: Sabonis On The Glass Vs. A Grizzlies Frontcourt In Flux
Domantas Sabonis is averaging 18.5 rebounds per game, a number that stands out against a Memphis team playing without its starting center. The Grizzlies still rank ahead of Sacramento in defensive rebounding at 34.5 per game to the Kings’ 31.5, but that gap has come largely without facing a rebounder of Sabonis’ volume. Memphis also holds a wide edge in shot-blocking, averaging 7.0 blocks per game compared to Sacramento’s 1.0, a difference that could matter in the paint if Boozer and the Grizzlies’ frontcourt rotation are asked to contest Sabonis without Edey available. How Memphis handles the boards against Sabonis, who is also averaging 9.0 assists per game and facilitating Sacramento’s offense from the elbow and post, will go a long way toward determining whether the Grizzlies’ two-game winning streak reaches three.
What To Watch
Memphis arrives tied atop the Southwest Division with Houston at 2-0, while Sacramento sits at the bottom of the Pacific at 0-2 and has dropped five in a row. A Grizzlies win would keep them unbeaten through three games to open the season, while a Kings win would snap a losing streak that has included four double-digit defeats in their last four outings. Ty Jerome’s early scoring pace and Sabonis’ rebounding and playmaking numbers figure to be central storylines as both teams try to establish an identity early in the 2026-27 season.
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