NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (3-3) vs Miami Heat (3-2)

DeMar DeRozan has been a significant addition to the Sacramento Kings, who are set to visit the Miami Heat on Monday night. Both the Kings and Heat had to clear customs to arrive in Miami. The Kings played in Canada on Saturday, while the Heat beat the Washington Wizards in Mexico on the same day.  

DeRozan, acquired in July as part of a sign-and-trade deal, is in his 16th NBA season. The 35-year-old six-time All-Star is still going strong, scoring at least 20 points in all six of Sacramento’s games and leading the team with an average of 25.3 points per game.  

DeRozan is coming off a season-high 33 points in Sacramento’s 131-128 overtime loss to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night, which snapped a three-game winning streak.

While DeRozan was Sacramento’s major offseason acquisition, the Kings also retained their core group, which includes Fox, Keegan Murray, Malik Monk, 3-point shooter Kevin Huerter, and Domantas Sabonis, one of the NBA’s most skilled centers. Sabonis leads the Kings with 13.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, adding 21.5 points per game.  

Fox, possibly the fastest player in the league, finished last season ranked eighth in NBA scoring with 26.6 points per game. He has averaged 23.5 points per game through six games this season.  Miami is coming off a 118-98 win over Washington in a game played in Mexico City as part of the NBA Global Games series.

The Heat have started the same lineup for all five of their games, featuring Tyler Herro (team-high 20.8 scoring average) and Terry Rozier in the backcourt; Jimmy Butler (team-high 5.6 assists) and Nikola Jovic at forward; and Bam Adebayo (team-high 8.6 rebounds) at center.  

Butler is Miami’s emotional leader, but at age 35, there have been signs of decline, including frequent injuries in recent years. His scoring average has dipped from 20.8 points per game last season to 17.0 through five games this season.  

On the other hand, Jovic, 21, is the most underrated Heat starter. He played for Serbia in the Olympics this past summer and continues to improve.  

Adebayo, a three-time All-Star, signed a three-year, $166-million extension in the offseason. He had 32 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s game in Mexico. The Heat bench is led by Jaime Jaquez Jr., who made the NBA All-Rookie First Team last season.  

Power forward Kevin Love, who has yet to play this season, and 3-point shooter Duncan Robinson missed Saturday’s game due to personal reasons.