Game #2: at Cleveland Cavaliers (12/7)
LeBron James is gone, and the East no longer runs through Cleveland, despite what Tristan Thompson has to say. The Cavaliers sport a dismal 4-18 record and have a depleted roster with spare parts left over from the machine that made four straight NBA Finals appearances.
Three of the top four scorers for Cleveland are point guards, including former King George Hill who recently returned from a shoulder injury. You will remember that Hill signed a free agent contract with Sacramento before the start of the ’17-’18 season.
By February, Hill was having the worst season of his career and no longer wanted to be in Sacramento. The Kings traded him to Cleveland in exchange for Iman Shumpert, a 2020 second-round pick, and $3 million. Shumpert has provided a much-needed veteran presence for Sacramento and is averaging just under ten points a night.
As long as the Kings are healthy, they should be able to handle the Cavaliers in what would be their second game of the road trip.