The Sacramento Kings host the LA Clippers for a preseason clash on October 18, 2016. This article examines everything Kings fans need to know about tonight’s game.
Tonight, on October 18, 2016, the LA Clippers invade the Golden 1 Center to clash with the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are riding a three-game preseason winning streak entering the contest. This is the first national television game for the Kings this season. The game is airing on ESPN. Let us examine all the things you need to know about the contest.
Injuries
The Kings enter tonight’s contest injury-free, but players could be rested. Make sure you check just before tip-off to see who is active for the game.
LA Clippers’ Scouting Report
The LA Clippers are traveling to Sacramento on the second of a back to back. They were defeated by the Jazz in Utah 104-78 on Monday night. The Clippers rested Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Alan Anderson in Monday’s game. That is good news for tonight’s game as all four players should be in action against the Kings.
The only player we know for certain that will be out is first round draft choice Brice Johnson is injured for tonight’s game. It would not be surprising to see them rest a few players but again check before game time to make certain.
The Clippers roster is relatively unchanged from last year’s 53 win team. They added Brandon Bass, Raymond Felton, and Marreese Speights as free agent bench depth. I expect to see the Clipper’s Lob City style in full effect for tonight’s game. It should be a great test for the Kings just one week ahead of the regular season opener.
What to Watch for?
Defense
This game should be a great test of the defense’s current state. The Clippers averaged the 7th most points per game last season. The Kings have not held an NBA team to under 103 points in a game this preseason. Expect a high scoring game, but monitor the Kings defense. If the Kings can stymie the Clippers’ attack it will be a big feather in the cap of Coach Joerger and his new defensive emphasis.
Ty Lawson
The story here is there is no story according to the Kings. He missed the team flight to Kentucky for the last preseason game and the Kings have not really said why. Here is a great article from the Sacramento Bee if you want to read more about this including quotes from Coach Joerger and GM Vlade Divac. The only information I can really add is no suspension means he should be in the line-up for this game. If he is out for this game, I believe there is more to this story than the Kings want us to know.
Rudy Gay Tonight’s MVP
Call it a hunch or call it an educated guess, but I think Rudy Gay is the man for the Kings tonight. He seems reinvigorated and I think he puts up 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, a block, and 22 points tonight. He leads the team in scoring and overall is tonight’s most valuable player on the Kings.
Undefeated in the Golden 1 Center
Can the Kings stay unbeaten in the new arena? This is only game number two and the first game against NBA competition, but I think the new arena should be packed and rocking for an exciting game against an in-state rival. Hopefully, that propels the Kings to victory number two in the Golden 1 Center.
Summary
There you have it everything you need to know about tonight’s contest against the LA Clippers. It should be a great game and I recommend everybody tune in. It is on ESPN, so let us hope that the Kings show out on national television.
Next: Prediction: Rudy Gay Averages 20 Points Per Game This Season
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