Sacramento Kings must watch game vs Cleveland Cavaliers Dec. 27

On August 14, the NBA released their full regular season schedule. This article looks at a must watch game between the Sacramento Kings and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Sacramento Kings locked in their regular season schedule for the 2017-2018 NBA season after the league’s announcement on Monday. That brings plenty of intrigue and storylines to follow throughout the season.

We at A Royal Pain decided to take a look at the must watch games for the coming season. We will continue that series with the Cleveland Cavaliers invading the Golden 1 Center on Dec. 27. The contest will be game 34 in the Kings schedule. There is always a ton of news surrounding LeBron James and his Cavs even in mid-August, so here are the three big storylines to follow in this matchup.

Storyline 1: LeBron’s one stop in Sacramento

King James continued his historical play last season. He set new career highs in rebounds (8.6) and assists (8.7) per game while scoring 26.4 points a night, but LeBron failed to win the major awards. Russell Westbrook snatched the MVP award by averaging a triple-double, and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cavs in five games to win the NBA title.

That could put King James on a mission to regain his thrones. James has won four MVP awards in his career, and the next one would tie him with Michael Jordan for second most all-time. LBJ is also looking for his fourth NBA championship and second in Cleveland. All the talk of the Warriors dominance should have LeBron agitated but ready to prove his dominance. Two days after Christmas the Sacramento Kings better watch out.

Storyline 2: Kyrie?

Notice the question mark because as of right now Kyrie Irving is the second storyline and his potential matchup against Kings fifth overall pick De’Aaron Fox, but that could change by Dec. 27. Irving requested a trade this offseason. He wants to be the alpha dog on his team and play away from the shadow of LeBron James. His motivation is not winning a championship because it is hard to see how Irving puts himself in a better place unless the Warriors come knocking.

I assume Irving stays because he is one of the league’s best players and the Cavaliers have intentions on winning the title, so how do the Kings hold him in check. The task will fall on George Hill (an adequate defender) and the rookie Fox. I am excited to see how Fox performs against the NBA’s elite point guards and Irving presents one of the toughest matchups. Stay tuned to see how the Kings defend Kyrie.

Storyline 3: Labissiere the future Love

There has been much talk about “Superteams” in the NBA and my colleague Sanjesh Singh wrote an article about how the Kings become one here. The Cavaliers have reached that status with LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love. Notice Kevin Love plays the third fiddle and has a precise role in the offense and defense.

The Kings should be developing Skal Labissiere to play that third fiddle role. Labissiere provides matchup nightmares with his height and outside shooting ability. He is similar to Love as they are both power forward marksmen who have a knack for grabbing rebounds and not producing defensive statistics. Sacramento would be a significantly improved squad if they can continue to morph Labissiere into a Kevin Love clone. Only time will tell if they can complete the transformation.

Final Thoughts

A must watch Sacramento Kings game this season is the Dec. 27 contest against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers. The Golden 1 Center will sell out as LeBron James comes to Sacramento for his annual visit. It should be an exciting night and rowdy crowd inside the arena.

Our team at A Royal Pain will continue this series with the remaining must watch games for the 2017-2018 season this week, so stay tuned as the countdown continues.

Next: Best NBA free agents still available

A Royal Pain has you covered this offseason with all the Sacramento Kings content you desire. We have a ton of draft, free agency and summer league articles up on the site. We will now be focusing on all the information you need to get ready for upcoming season, so please check back with us often. Thank you for reading.

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