Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns: Injury Report, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - October 27th, 2021 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Sacramento Kings will travel to Arizona to play the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center on Wednesday. The game is scheduled to be played at 10:00 PM ET and will be broadcast on local channels Bally Sports AZ and NBC Sports California.
The two teams played each other previously this month during the preseason and while the Kings won that contest, the regular season may prove to be a whole different story.
The Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings will play the October 27th game with identical records. With two losses and one win under their belt, it is, on paper, an evenly matched battle. But "on paper" can be vastly different from "reality" due to the variables at hand. Sacramento's Harrison Barnes has proven to be a better scorer than the Phoenix players in the season thus far, but with 79 games remaining on the schedule, this might change quickly.
With a four-game road trip beginning Wednesday night in Phoenix, Kings coach Luke Walton looks ahead to the matchup with the Suns, the 4th quarter struggles and what's up with De'Aaron Fox.
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The Phoenix Suns seem to have better rotation options than the Sacramento Kings. This may very well become the tipping point of the game, or perhaps the in-form starters from the Kings will be too pesky for the Suns to shake. As unpredictable as the outcome of the upcoming game may be, one thing is for sure - one of the two teams will come out of Wednesday's game with a win added to their record.
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
The Sacramento Kings, in their most recent game, played against the Golden State Warriors on a completely healthy roster. While Maurice Harkless was questionable before the match, he ended up playing over 22 minutes and contributed 8 points and 3 rebounds.
They will enter the Footprint Center with their roster blessed with a clean bill of health. None of the players in the Sacramento squad are injured or ill and the Phoenix Suns will have to face the full might of Luke Walton's team.
Phoenix Suns Injury Report
Conversely, the Phoenix Suns are not as blessed as their upcoming opponents in the health department. From Devin Booker missing the preseason to Dario Saric out until further notice, the Suns have not been without injuries thus far this season.
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Even as they ready themselves to host the Sacramento Kings on October 27th, two Suns players will remain out. One of them, of course, is Saric, who tore his ACL in game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. In fact, taking other such injured players and their recoveries into consideration, it is highly unlikely that Dario will return this season.
The second player mentioned in the Suns' injury report to the NBA is Cameron Payne, who is healing from a strained right hamstring.
Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns: Predicted Lineups
Sacramento Kings
The Kings will undoubtedly use the same lineup they have executed in their three previous games. Harrison Barnes, Maurice Harkless and Richaun Holmes up front with Tyrese Haliburton and De'Aaron fox handling the backcourt. Buddy Hield and Davion Mitchell are crucial players needed to make efficient rotations and have been playing wonderfully while coming off-the-bench.
Phoenix Suns
Deandre Ayton is yet to showcase his scoring abilities in the ongoing season. He has been a little rusty on the offensive end and that is hurting his team when it comes to outscoring the opponents. However, his contribution as a rebounder and commanding presence in the paint deems him worthy of still being a starter.
We predict that Ayton will combine with his usual companions Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder on the frontcourt while Chris Paul will play alongside Devin Booker as the starting guard.
Sacramento Kings vs Phoenix Suns: Predicted Starting 5s
Sacramento Kings
Point Guard - De'Aaron Fox | Shooting Guard - Tyrese Haliburton | Small Forward - Maurice Harkless | Power Forward - Harrison Barnes | Center - Richaun Holmes
Phoenix Suns
Point Guard - Chris Paul | Shooting Guard - Devin Booker | Small Forward - Mikal Bridges | Power Forward - Jae Crowder | Center - Deandre Ayton