After breaking a 22 game losing streak in Dallas, the Sacramento Kings will try to break the San Antonio Spurs impeccable home winning streak tonight in San Antonio.
It will not be easy, if not impossible for the Kings (25-35), whose playoff hopes are vanishing before their eyes and the Spurs (52-9) already clinching a playoff birth.
San Antonio will be back at full strength with Manu Ginobili returning to the line-up after an absence. Defensive player of the year, Kawhi Leonard is having an MVP-like season. LaMarcus Aldridge and Tim Duncan always give DeMarcus Cousins a hard time in the paint.
The Kings will need the same effort they had in Dallas to beat the Spurs, who have only lost nine (!) games this year.
The Kings fell to the Spurs at home on February 24th, 92-108. The Kings were competitive for three quarters in that game, but the Spurs machine with its precision passing and frustrating consistency rolled over them in the fourth quarter. Sacramento cannot afford any defensive lapses this time around if they want a chance of getting an upset.
The Kings can find ways to stay in the game tonight and maybe steal a win. Former Spur, Marco Belinelli has been shooting better off the bench in the last few games, including a 16 point game in Dallas.
Darren Collison has been a huge spark for Sacramento and has been shooting lights-out lately. Ben McLemore has been playing with more confidence, by hitting open shots and occasionally getting a highlight dunk.
DeMarcus Cousins has shown that when faced with formidable big men, like Aldridge, he can change up his game by finding the assist instead of forcing a shot. If Omri Casspi finds his three-point stroke again, and if Rajon Rondo gets to the rim, Sacramento can make it a contest.
Those are a lot of “ifs.” Here’s one more: The Kings need to be more active on defense like they have been their past couple games. I do not know if it is Tom Thibodeau’s presence the past few days that has helped the Kings in this department. But it sure hasn’t hurt.
The Kings, as always, have three keys to winning tonight.
- Stay Awake Out There!- The Kings can’t be caught snoozing or taking breaks against the Spurs, or they will burn you. This also includes keeping turnovers to a minimum. Sacramento cannot afford any unforced errors if they want to win.
- Don’t Force Shots- Kawhi Leonard will be defending Rudy Gay. Duncan and Aldridge will be on Boogie. You can’t force shots or take the ball into traffic and hope for the best. The Kings need to pass the ball a lot, be patient, and find the high percentage open bucket.
- Scoring From The Bench- The Kings role players need to step up and have a good night offensively if the Kings want to stand a chance.
Sacramento also needs to play strong defense. That’s not a key to the game, it’s just something they need to always do. The Kings let opposing players get to the rim too easily. And backdoor plays are never defended well and are always open.
An interesting side note: The Spurs have recently added two former Kings to their roster, guards Andre Miller and Kevin Martin.