Game Preview: Sacramento Kings (14-20) at Dallas Mavericks (19-15)
By Rafe Wong
The Sacramento Kings are undefeated into the new year and will look to continue their winning ways against the Dallas Mavericks tonight.
For Sacramento tonight they will be without center Willie Cauley-Stein, who suffered another finger injury last night. Also, Omri Casspi and Ben McLemore are listed as questionable with back injuries. Rajon Rondo is listed doubtful with a bad back as well. (per ESPN)
For Dallas, Deron Williams is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury (per ESPN).
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This season the Mavericks have been a pleasant surprise for their fans. Many did not think the Mavs would be able to hang with the “strong” Western Conference, but they are currently ranked 5th with a 19-15 record.
The Kings, on the other hand, have not had a strong season. So far the Kings have been up and down this season, mostly down, and as a result, they have a record of 14-20. They are currently ranked 9th in the West.
The last time the Kings and Mavericks faced off was back in November when Sacramento won the game 112-98. In the game, the Big 3 for Sacramento dominated the night.
The final stat line was DeMarcus Cousins finishing with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, Rajon Rondo recording 21 points and 5 assists, and Rudy Gay scoring 20 points. Defensively, the Kings played aggressive in the second half, which resulted in Dallas only scoring 40 points in the final two-quarters.
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In order for Sacramento to come out victorious again versus Dallas, the Kings must replicate their performance when they played them back in November. This means having DeMarcus Cousins being the center of the offense while defensively the team as a collective whole play aggressively for the whole 48 minutes.
Tonight, I expect the Kings to win tonight’s game. The team right now is carrying a lot of momentum into Dallas and are usually accustomed to playing well in games against good competition. Even though Rondo might not be able to play, I foresee the offense continuing to prosper with Cousins and Gay in command. On the defense, I see them doing just enough to prevent the Mavs from scoring more points than the Kings.