Sacramento @ Memphis preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 31, 2017 ) Memphis 114, Sacramento 96

The Memphis Grizzlies strung together consecutive wins for the first time in nearly three months and seek their first three-game run since they opened 3-0 when they host the Sacramento Kings on Friday. The Grizzlies knocked off the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks to begin their three-game homestand, and they've won five of their last seven at home after a 1-11 stretch at FedExForum earlier in the season.

The latest triumph came without star center Marc Gasol, who was out with an illness. "We've got a lot of tentative people, but we're starting to get that chemistry," JaMychal Green told reporters following the 105-99 win over the Knicks on Wednesday. "We're playing more as a team and starting to get a feel for one another. We're getting back to having fun and everyone stepped up and made their shots." The Kings haven't had much fun of late with six straight losses, including a 120-105 setback at home against Utah on Wednesday. Sacramento shot 52.8 percent from the floor and 61.9 percent from beyond the arc - a season high - but turned it over 19 times and struggled to make stops on the defensive end.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), FS Southeast (Memphis)

ABOUT THE KINGS (13-31): Sacramento has made a commitment to give some of its young players more time on the court, and Willie Cauley-Stein and Bogdan Bogdanovic are among those taking advantage of the opportunity. Cauley-Stein, who averages 26.8 minutes, played at least 33 in his last three games while picking up a pair of double-doubles, and Bogdanovic buried all six of his 3-point tries en route to a career-high 25 points in the loss to the Jazz. "We're looking to ... play more athletic," coach Dave Joerger told reporters. "With more life, with more energy, with more pop and more bounce."

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (15-28): Gasol's injury allowed coach J.B. Bickerstaff to lean on some inexperienced players, and 20-year-old Ivan Rabb (4-for-4 from the field) and 23-year-old Jarell Martin (17 points) chipped in plenty off the bench against the Knicks. "You look at teams that win and normally they win games in the fourth quarter with a bunch of guys that have been there before," Bickerstaff told the media of his young players. "We're still, with the group that we have right now, we're learning. Tonight was a learning (experience) for us." Gasol and fellow veteran Brandan Wright (illness) are both day-to-day.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Grizzlies PG Tyreke Evans has scored at least 22 points in 11 of his last 15 games, including 26 in a 114-96 win at Sacramento on New Year's Eve.

2. Kings PF Skal Labissiere (shoulder) missed the game against Utah and is day-to-day.

3. Memphis is 8-5 at home against Western Conference teams.

PREDICTION: Grizzlies 110, Kings 99