Ivan Rabb gets an opportunity to show his impressive late-season form to his hometown team on Friday night when the Memphis Grizzlies host the Sacramento Kings in Memphis
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The game matches teams jockeying for position in the NBA Draft Lottery. Memphis (21-57) is still in the running for the worst record in the league and Sacramento (25-54) could finish with the fourth-worst mark.
Both teams have experienced signs of encouragement.
Memphis beat Portland in its most recent home game before losing three straight to Western Conference playoff contenders (Utah, Portland and New Orleans) on a just completed trip.
Rabb, the 35th pick of last June’s draft, played his best ball of the season on the trip, taking full advantage of an average of 21.3 minutes per game.
The Sacramento native averaged 8.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in the three road losses
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Rabb has taken an unusual approach to the Grizzlies’ constant losing. He has focused on how the team has been faring just when he’s in the game.
He totaled a respectable minus-7 plus/minus in games on the trip that the Grizzlies lost by a total of 55 points.
“I’m just playing hard,” he said. “Whenever I get out there and we are losing, we start coming back or we extend a lead. So me having that confidence and that presence on the court is helping us get better.”
Little has gone right for the Grizzlies this season. They’ve lost seven of their last nine games.
But facing Sacramento and Detroit in their final two home games at least gives them a chance to send their fans into the offseason with a small dose of satisfaction.
Likewise, the Kings are experiencing a run of games against teams outside the playoff picture, which has given them a better chance to compete.
Sacramento opened a four-game trip with an 84-83 win over the Los Angeles Lakers and a 97-94 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Kings coach Dave Joerger believes the organization is learning things about their young players even in games others would label meaningless.
“We had a fighting chance there at the end
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Sacramento finishes the season against San Antonio and Houston.
A trip to Memphis means a homecoming for Kings veterans Zach Randolph and Vince Carter, although Randolph has battled an illness this month and is unlikely to play.
Randolph, a centerpiece to a seven-year run of Grizzlies postseason appearances that will end this season, enjoyed a warm welcome back when Sacramento visited Memphis in January. He didn’t have a particularly good game (four points, six rebounds) in a 106-88 loss.
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The San Francisco 49ers have five picks heading into the final day of the NFL draft.
The 49ers will have single picks in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds Saturday
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San Francisco used its first two picks of the draft to get help for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners took tackle Mike McGlinchey in the first round and speedy receiver Dante Pettis in round two.
The focus shifted to defense in the third round with San Francisco taking linebacker Fred Warner and defensive back Tarvarius Moore.
The Niners could use more help at pass rusher, interior line and possibly tight end.
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