The Sacramento Kings will begin a four-game road trip tonight with the Detroit Pistons being their first contender.
Currently, the Kings have a record of 26-41 and are 7.5 games back from making the lowest playoff seed in the Western Conference.
The playoffs look bleak for the Kings, but for the Pistons, their chances extending the season are very much alive with a 34-34 that only has them half a game back from the lowest playoff seed in the East.
Based on their current situations Sacramento should expect Detroit to bring their A-game as they will look at this matchup as a must-win for their squad.
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In order to play the role of spoilers towards the Pistons, the Kings must outplay them in two aspects of the game. Rebounding and perimeter defense.
Right now the Pistons are currently ranked fourth in the league in rebounds per game (46.1), and a lot of the credit has to go to their big man Andre Drummond.
Drummond, being the individual leader in rebounds, has been a monster in grabbing the boards this season and the Kings as a collective group will have to try to, at least, contain Drummond in having a field day.
This means players like Willie Cauley-Stein, Kosta Koufos, and DeMarcus Cousins are going to have to get in the paint and get in positions ahead of Drummond to get rebounds.
It also means that players on the court for Sacramento can not just stare at the ball when it hits off the rim and into the air for someone to grab. When someone misses a shot, players have to advance towards the ball and contend for a possible rebound.
The more bodies the Kings can get in the paint when the opportunity for a rebound is there, the harder it will be for Detroit to dominate the boards.
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The Kings will also need to defend well on the perimeter to beat Detroit tonight. Detroit is ranked 10th in the league three-point attempts a game (26.1) and are 10th in the league in three-point shots made per game as well (8.9).
Guarding the perimeter has been a problem for the Kings this season, and if they continue their defensive ways the Pistons will torch the them with their three-point shooting.
Players like Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Tobias Harris are all capable of getting hot from the perimeter.
Overall, if Sacramento is going to be competitive tonight they must do a proper job in rebounding the ball and defending the perimeter.
The harder of the two will be perimeter defense for Sacramento. The Kings are a top 10 team in rebounding compared to other teams but are also one of the worse perimeter defensive teams in the league.
The Kings are in Detroit, so tonight’s game will be an early start as it will start at 4:30 PM Pacific Time.