Kings vs. Warriors play-in game: Gary Payton II, Malik Monk injury news; scouting reports

The Kings went 2-2 against the Golden State Warriors during the regular season with three of those games decided by one point.

They will meet again with both teams facing elimination when the No. 9 Kings host the No. 10 Warriors in a play-in tournament game Tuesday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento in a rematch of last year’s seven-game playoff series.

The Warriors will be missing defensive stalwart Gary Payton II, who is out with a left calf strain. Payton has appeared in only 44 games this season due to injuries. Golden State has won eight of the last nine games Payton has played. The Warriors are 27-17 this season when Payton plays and 19-19 when he doesn’t.

The Kings are still adjusting to life without starting shooting guard Kevin Huerter and Sixth Man of the Year candidate Malik Monk, who accounted for a total of 25.6 points and 21.1 field-goal attempts per game. Huerter underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum. Monk is expected to be reevaluated April 27 after spraining his right MCL in a March 29 game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Monk recently told The Sacramento Bee his injured knee was feeling “better than expected,” but Kings coach Mike Brown said Monday there is “zero chance” of Monk playing against the Warriors.

The winner of this game will go on to face the Los Angeles Lakers or New Orleans Pelicans — whoever loses the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game — with a chance to secure the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

This will be thee fifth and final meeting between the Kings and Warriors this season. The Warriors won 122-114 on Oct. 27 in Sacramento and 102-101 on Nov. 1 at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Kings prevailed 124-123 on Nov. 28 in Sacramento and 134-133 on Nov. 25 in San Francisco.

Scouting Sacramento

The Kings are led by the All-NBA duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.

Fox averaged 26.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.0 steals this season. He tied Shai-Gilgeous Alexander for the league lead in steals and ranked second in deflections (3.6).

Sabonis averaged 19.4 points, 13.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists. He led the league in rebounding, double-doubles (77) and triple-doubles (26).

Keegan Murray (15.2 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Harrison Barnes (12.2 points) are also scoring in double figures.

Keon Ellis has started the past 15 games in place of Huerter, averaging 9.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 47.2% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range.

Davion Mitchell is playing a big role off the bench with Huerter and Monk out. Over the past 10 games, Mitchell has averaged 9.4 points while shooting 41.7% from 3-point range. Mitchell has made 41.6% from beyond the arc since the All-Star break after shooting 30.9% before the break.

Ellis and Mitchell have contributed to the team’s dramatic turnaround on defense. The Kings ranked No. 18 in in defensive rating before the All-Star break (116.1). They ranked No. 9 after the break (110.9) and No. 5 over the past 10 games (108.1).

Scouting Golden State

The Warriors are still led by coach Steve Kerr, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, the core group that helped Golden State capture four NBA championships in eight years.

Curry is averaging 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.1 assists this season. He is shooting 45% from the field and 40.8% from 3-point range.

Thompson averages 17.9 points per game. He is shooting just 43.2% from the field but hitting 38.7% from beyond the arc.

Jonathan Kuminga, the No. 7 pick in the 2021 draft, has taken on a much larger role in his third season with the Warriors. The 21-year-old power forward is averaging 16.1 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins averages 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds. Rookie Brandin Podziemski averages 9.2 points and 5.8 rebounds. Chris Paul (9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds) and Green (8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists) are also playing important roles.

The Warriors are No. 9 in the NBA in offensive rating (116.9) and No. 15 in defensive rating. They are No. 7 in defensive rating since the All-Star break (110.5) after ranking No. 20 before the break (116.6).

Warriors at Kings

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Golden 1 Center

TV: TNT

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140

Odds: Warriors -2.5

Over/under: 223.5

Injury report

Warriors: OUT — Gary Payton II (calf).

Kings: OUT — Kevin Huerter (shoulder); Malik Monk (knee).