SACRAMENTO -- Give the crowd something to cheer about.
After a poor showing in Denver on Tuesday, the Sacramento Kings looked like a completely different team against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. They stumbled out of the blocks, but once they got their offense going, it was lights out.
They didn't break a 100 points, like the previous four games, but they still managed to beat a quality Grizzlies team by a final of 97-92 to improve to 2-3 on the season.
Here are three takeaways from the Kings' first home win of the season.
New and Old
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Coming into the draft, De'Aaron Fox was compared closely to Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. The pair went at it Wednesday evening and the youngster lost the battle, but won the war.
Sacramento's second-year guard turned on the jets, blowing through Memphis' defense for 21 points on 7-for-16 shooting. He added six assists, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks in 37 minutes of action. He provided the spark the Kings needed to get back in the game in the second half.
Conley played well for the Grizzlies, finishing the night with 27 points, five assists and six rebounds.
Battle of the Bigs
Marvin Bagley III and Jaren Jackson Jr. went No. 2 and No. 4 respectively in the 2018 NBA Draft. They matched up for stretches for the first time in their professional careers Wednesday evening in Sacramento, giving the NBA a glimpse of what should be a great battle for years to come.
Bagley finished the evening with 13 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes off the Kings' bench. Jackson picked up the start for Memphis and posted 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists before fouling out late.
Both of these players have a bright future in the league.
Bounce back Buddy
After a poor showing against the Nugget in Denver, Buddy Hield went off a team-high 23 points on 10-for-20 shooting and added seven rebounds. He was instrumental in the fourth quarter when the Kings locked down defensively and came away with the win.
Hield is perfect for the run-and-gun style, but against a gritty Memphis team that slowed the game down, he came up huge.
