The Sacramento Kings (32-48) and the Phoenix Suns (22-58) are both headed to the lottery this offseason. But tonight at Talking Stick Resort Arena neither team are very motivated to end this season series with a win.
The Kings have been resting starters during the last few remaining games of the season when it became apparent they were not going to make the playoffs once again.
There is also a first round lottery pick at stake. If the Kings fall out of the top ten lottery picks, then that pick goes to the Chicago Bulls. The Suns also have their lottery ranking in mind, and might not want to lose their chance at a higher pick by winning tonight.
That said both teams have been playing well at the tail end of the season. And Sacramento’s young players might spoil any plans of tanking tonight.
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This game might come down to which team would rather end their season on a hight note, instead of worrying about their lottery standing.
The Suns are coming off of two impressive road wins and are looking to keep the winning streak going home. The Kings are coming off an emotional and passionate win against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the last game ever played at Sleep Train Arena.
Sacramento will once again be resting some of their starters, which has let Seth Curry and Willie Cauley-Stein get some quality minutes. And they both have been taking advantage of it.
Seth Curry made six three-pointers Saturday night, five of those in the first half. He has been able to shine late in the season, quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Rookie Willie Cauley-Stein might get the start tonight if the reports of DeMarcus Cousins not playing in the last two remaining games are true. As of late, Cauley-Stein has been able to show off some of his offensive skills he has been working on this year.
Cousins will be missed, as he usually has monster games against the Suns. The last time that Kings fans saw him this season was fouling out in the fourth quarter against the Thunder.
Sacramento has won four out of their last five games against Phoenix, who struggle more on their home court than the Kings did at Sleep Train.
The Kings’ Keys To The Game:
- Let The Bench Play- If the Kings are going to rest some of their starters, then they should let their bench get a lot of playing time. They are eager and can actually contribute.
- Just A Smidge Of Defense It will probably be a high tempo, fast moving game. Do not expect a lot of defense played in this one. But if the Kings are able to get a handful of defensive stops they should come out on top.
- Collison & Curry- We could see a lot of this backcourt tonight. If Sacramento keeps the ball in one of those two’s hands, then they should get the win tonight.
In that last game at the old “Arco”, Darren Collison had a big night against OKC and led the team with 27 points and 8 assists. Rudy Gay added 24 points. Look for these two to produce most of the offense for the Kings.
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In the Suns’ last game, Archie Goodwin had the team high with 24 points. Mirza Teletovic tallied 22 points while Devin Booker had 16. If the Suns are motivated at all, expect Booker to have a hot shooting night.