A Royal Pain
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Game Preview: Sacramento Kings Bench Has A Chance To Shine Against The Bulls

By Gabe Callahan

Nov 20, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) controls the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) and center Joakim Noah (13) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls 103-88. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2014; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay (8) controls the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Jimmy Butler (21) and center Joakim Noah (13) during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Chicago Bulls 103-88. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Sacramento Kings (21-27) might have three starters out with injuries in tonight’s game against the Chicago Bulls (26-21) at Sleep Train Arena. Rudy Gay and the Kings bench will have to step up like they did against the Milwaukee Bucks if they are going to get a second win in a row.

Sacramento was able to win their last game without All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins, which is something they have struggled to do in the past. With the win against the Bucks, the Kings improved to 2-7 without Cousins this season.

Cousins suffered a sprained left ankle in Saturday’s loss to Memphis. NBA assists leader Rajon Rondo is listed as questionable with “turf toe.” And Ben McLemore is also listed as questionable with a sprained right wrist.

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Rudy Gay stepped up in the last game with 32 points and an uncharacteristic six assists. Darren Collison would start in place of Rondo for tonight’s game. Marco Belinelli would start at shooting guard.

With Cousins out, the Kings will have to replace his points and rebounds. Kosta Koufos will start tonight, and to make an impact he will have to own the paint defensively. The Kings as a team don’t usually have problems  scoring or rebounding, even with Cousins on the sidelines. Including their losses they usually score over 100 points and outrebound their opponents.  But they do have a hard time making defensive stops.

The Bulls’ Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose will test Sacramento’s defense for sure. Butler has put up two 26 point performances recently.  The Kings won’t be able to shut these two down, but they should try to contain them. Forcing them to shoot from the perimeter and not letting them get to the basket would be a priority.

There are, of course, three keys to a Kings win:

  • The Bench Mob– With three starters out the Kings’ bench will get a lot of minutes. That means they will need to find an offensive rhythm early. To be effective, Collison will have to set Belinelli up for open shots. Koufos needs to battle in the blocks and crash the boards. The bench will probably have to have a good night shooting from the perimeter if they are going to beat Chicago.
  • Rudy Dropping Dimes- The Kings will need Gay’s points once again, but they also need his assists. The Bulls will probably be double-teaming him and that will greatly limit his ISO play. That means he should be on the lookout to find an open man for the easy bucket.
  • Defense Please- Don’t leave guys wide open for threes. Don’t let opposing teams score 30+ points in the first quarter. Don’t let Tony Snell have a career high scoring game. Don’t go down by 17 in the first half. The Kings need to play defense to win.

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Whenever Boogie isn’t on the court it becomes apparent how much the Kings rely on his stats and presence. But Sacramento has the talent to be able to beat Chicago at Sleep Train tonight if everybody else steps up.

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