Sacramento @ Chicago preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2019 ) Chicago 113, Sacramento 106

The Sacramento Kings are sliding with losses in six straight games and will try to avoid falling to 0-4 on a five-game road trip when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Friday. The Kings put up a good fight in a 118-113 overtime setback at Miami on Monday but could not muster the same effort in a 127-106 loss at Detroit on Wednesday.

Sacramento allowed the Pistons to shoot 53.4 percent from the floor and committed 28 personal fouls, which led to a 37-of-44 night at the line for the Pistons. "That was about as frustrating as it gets," Kings coach Luke Walton told reporters. "Basketball is a simple game - defend without fouling, make the right play and knock down shots early. I feel like we didn't do any of those things. ... We need to fix it, or this road trip is going to get worse and worse. I don't think anyone in that locker room is happy about it. The coaching staff is not happy about it. We've got to fix it." The Bulls continued their recent trend of trading wins and losses by following a loss at Milwaukee with a victory at home over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Chicago, which is 4-4 over its last eight games, continues to look for secondary scoring options to join guard Zach LaVine and placed six scorers in double figures on Wednesday.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS California, NBCS Chicago

ABOUT THE KINGS (15-29): Sacramento is adding some new pieces to the mix and Wednesday marked the team debuts for swingman Kent Bazemore and power forward Anthony Tolliver, who arrived in a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers. Bazemore scored seven points in 16 minutes off the bench while Tolliver - a veteran embarking on his second stint with the franchise - went scoreless in six minutes while missing his two 3-point attempts. The Kings are still trying to work out a trade of center Dewayne Dedmon, who publicly asked to be sent away earlier in the season and showed off for opposing scouts by totaling 13 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes against Detroit.

ABOUT THE BULLS (17-29): The most obvious candidate to join LaVine as a regular 20-plus scorer is forward Lauri Markkanen, who has struggled to find any consistency with his production this season. Markkanen managed only eight points on 2-of-11 in Monday's loss to the Bucks but bounced back by knocking down four 3-pointers and scoring 21 points in Wednesday's triumph. "They're two important pieces to what we're building," Chicago coach Jim Boylen told reporters of Markkanen and LaVine, who scored a team-high 25 points against the Kings. "And they're two guys that are developing. They have the responsibility to grow and get better, but also to help us win."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Kings PF Marvin Bagley III (foot soreness) sat out Wednesday and is day-to-day.

2. Bulls SG Tomas Satoransky is 7-of-27 from the floor over the last three games, including 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.

3. Chicago earned a 113-106 win at Sacramento on Dec. 2 as LaVine and Markkanen combined for 48 points.

PREDICTION: Bulls 116, Kings 111