Game Preview: Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Clippers

The Sacramento Kings are currently in the middle of a Western Conference road trip, and their next competition is against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight in the Staples Center.

Right now the Kings are one game back from the eighth seed in the West, and a win tonight against a formidable opponent could potentially help the team make ground in the standings. But it won’t at all be easy.

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Despite the Western Conference struggling as a whole, the Clippers remain to be one of the top-tier teams in the conference with a record of 26-13. This is because the Clippers as a team are filled with balanced talent in players like Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford, and J.J. Reddick.

They also have Blake Griffin who has been a consistent All-Star throughout his career, but fortunately, for Sacramento, he is sidelined with a leg injury. Also, DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers top defensive player, is listed questionable with an illness.

The Kings have displayed a Jekyll and Hyde effect of themselves all through this season, where fans see two different versions of the squad. For them to beat the Clippers tonight they must show the better version of the two.

Oct 31, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Rajon Rondo (9) in the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /

This means the team needs to come out and play aggressively from the start. Offensively they need to play clean basketball and have players making their shots.

So far DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay are each having an excellent month in January, and that Rajon Rondo guy isn’t too bad either. However, Sacramento will also need players like Darren Collison, Marco Belinelli, and Omri Casspi to make positive contributions as well.

Defensively the Kings are going to need a stout performance. This means players are going to have to stay with their rotations, rebound effectively, and above all close in on jump shots and defend the perimeter.

The Clippers have shooters like Paul, Reddick, and Crawford that have the ability to put the ball in the bucket at a high level, and if the Kings leave them open for high-percentage shots the Clippers will torch them.

Lastly, the Kings will have to finish the game strong tonight. One of the team’s biggest flaws this season is their inability to finish games on a high note. When the Kings have had leads going into the fourth quarter, they let teams come back where the Kings either barely get out with the victory or end up losing the competition.

If the Kings continue their ways and start to lose themselves during the fourth quarter tonight the Clippers will come out on top.

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Overall it is going to take a good performance on both sides of the court for Sacramento to upset the Clippers.

Although many Kings-Clippers matchups have been highly competitive in the past, history tells us that the Kings will not win tonight, as the purple and white have lost the last 9 out of 10 contests to their division foe.

Hopefully, that is not the case tonight. What Sacramento does have on their side is that they strangely play better against opponents more superior than them.

If they are able to continue that trend plus finish the game strong, they have a good chance to shock the fans rooting against them in the Staples Center.

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Game Preview: Sacramento Kings (16-23) at Los Angeles Clippers (26-13)

By Rafe Wong | Jan 16, 2016

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