A Royal Pain
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Highs and Lows: Sacramento Kings Win Gritty Match Against Grizzlies

By Rafe Wong

Mar 27, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings center Kosta Koufos (41) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 27, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings center Kosta Koufos (41) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Sacramento Kings won a gritty matchup tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 91-90. Listed down below are the highs and lows of tonight’s game pertaining to the Kings.

HIGHS

Darren Collison: After having a successful game yesterday in Los Angeles, Darren Collison took that momentum back to Sacramento tonight where he had his way against the Grizzlies’ defense. In tonight’s game, Collison was able to score 23 points on 8-13 shooting while distributing 7 assists. The last two games for the Kings have displayed vintage Collison. A point guard that is able to facilitate the Sacramento offense effectively while being a consistent scorer on the floor.

Willie Cauley-Stein: For the night, Cauley-Stein recorded 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story about Willie’s performance tonight. Throughout the whole game, Willie displayed an intense amount of energy on the hardwood which resulted in the 7-footer in having a great game on both ends of the court. In the last few games, Cauley-Stein has displayed a little bit of everything in his game. Scoring, defending, rebounding, and passing have all been glaring in Cauley-Stein’s play as of late.

Collective Defense: The team defense for the Kings tonight was outstanding. As a result of their hustle, tenacity, and the absence of Marc Gasol, the Kings only allowed the Grizzlies to score 90 points for the game while shooting just 34.4% from the floor and 19.2% from the perimeter. The defense as a whole was great tonight, but major props have to be given to Willie Cauley-Stein and Kosta Koufos for their interior defense. The Grizzlies had trouble all night in trying to score in the paint, resulting in a low shooting percentage for Memphis in this game.

LOWS

Three-Point Shooting: The three-pointers usually fall for the Kings on a gamely basis, but tonight’s game was different. For the game, the Kings only made 6 three-pointers out of the 25 shots that were attempted (24%) from the area. As a result, the Kings struggled on offense as they only scored 91 points for the game.

Mike Conley: Mike Conley was the main anchor for the Memphis Grizzlies tonight as he scored 22 points while distributing 9 assists. Conley’s performance tonight gave the Kings’ defense fits and was a big reason why the Grizzlies remained competitive throughout the entire night.

Offensive Rebounding: The Sacramento Kings have been a poor rebounding team all season long, and that trend continued in tonight’s game, specifically in the offensive rebounding department. For the night, the Kings only recorded 8 offensive rebounds compared to the Grizzlies who were able to grab 19 offensive boards. As a result of Memphis winning the rebounding battle tonight, it caused the Grizzlies to have more chances to score points, which was the main factor to why the Grizzlies kept the game close to the very end. For the game, the Grizzlies got off 90 shot attempts compared to the Kings’ 67.

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