A Royal Pain
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Can the Sacramento Kings Hang With Harden and the Rockets Tonight?

By Kareem Gantt

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The Sacramento Kings are now mired in a 2-6 funk. During this funk, the Kings have discovered how many ways you can lose a game; either by blowout, by playing solid but not hard enough, and by leading and controlling a game, only to have sweet victory snatch from you.

The latter was what happened against the Lakers, when the Kings were seemingly in control of most of the game, only to see victory slip away because of inept play in the fourth quarter. To make this notion works, this was against the Lakers, a team that is not predicted to be competing for the playoffs anytime soon.

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Is taking a step back in 2023-24 inevitable for the Sacramento Kings?
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    • The Kings can ill afford to have another meltdown against the more superior Houston Rockets, who visits Sleep Train Arena tonight to open up another five-game homestand for the Kings.

    The Rockets are superior in every way. Houston is an offensive juggernaut, and when they feel like it, the Rockets can play a little defense too. But the most important aspect of the Rockets is the fact that this team plays hard 48 minutes, something the Kings have been unable to do with consistency throughout the year.

    There is no player on the Kings roster that can contain James Harden, so Rudy Gay is going to have to match Harden fire with fire on offense. But what this game will come down to is the bench play of both teams, as Sacramento’s bench is going to have to step it up against Houston’s all-world reserves.

    If the bench can produce, and Gay can somehow outplay Harden, the Kings have a shot to steal this game. But the way the Kings have played, and given the fact the Rockets are coming off a loss to West leader Golden State, I just don’t think the Kings have enough horses to pull this win out.

    This is one of those times where I hope the Kings prove me wrong.

    Injuries:

    Rockets: Dwight Howard, Sprained Knee (Out)

    Kings: DeMarcus Cousins, Stomach Virus (Out)

    My Prediction: Rockets 114, Kings 99

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