SB Nation - Sergio Rodriguez

Preview: Kings at Bulls

Ziller — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:00:38 -0000

by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

THE OPPONENT

Last we met the Bulls, the Kings came in 5-4, winners of a shocking four straight once Kevin Martin got knocked off his torrid All-Star pace with a hand fracture. Sacramento had subpar performances from three key talismen (Tyreke Evans, Jason Thompson and most notably Spencer Hawes) and lost handily to the then-struggling Red and Black.

Andres Nocioni was unavailable in that game, though any boost you could portend from him here can be dismissed when you consider his replacement, Donte Greene, ripped Chicago apart with 24 points. Still, Chapu is a beloved player in most corners of the CHI, and I imagine he'll have a touch more swag this evening. Well that hurts or helps is, of course, another matter entirely.

Really, where the Kings need help here is with Evans, Thompson and Hawes. Surely Young Spence will start again -- Paul Westphal called his understated (to my eyes) Milwaukee performance the season's best from the green pivot -- and supposing Hawes plays well, Thompson should get a bit more free. Derrick Rose finally seems healthy, and Evans has a touch of the limp, so we'll see whether Reke can get back to his superlative standard again.

Sergio Rodriguez also played terrific ball in the first game; he has been stuck to the bench a bit of late, but Westphal has a long memory, and I imagine we'd see him early on.

THE KEY BATTLE

Jason Thompson vs. Taj Gibson. J.T. should destroy Gibson. He didn't last time (Joakim Noah marked him or helped off Hawes frequently) and that killed the Kings. The Bulls are just the sort of team J.T. should be going 20-10 against. Let's see it happen!

BOLD PROCLAMATION

John Salmons will miss all 17 three-pointers he attempts.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 1.

DETAILS

5 PM tip -- the last early start as the Kings come home this week. Game thread at 5, Game thread II at 6, post-gamer at 7:45, recap by Christmas.

Blazers Mount Comeback, Edge Kings 95-88

Ziller — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:02:27 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

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As Paul Westphal told the media and the cameras, the Kings did not play smart basketball in the fourth quarter, particularly on offense. But there's an asterisk: the Blazers threw something at the Kings that the players on the floor were unable to adjust to. Portland so wanted to stop Tyreke Evans (who was murder in sneakers all night) they pulled Joel Przybilla all the way across the lane to provide help on just about every Evans touch. The Kings tried to clear a side to allow Evans to go one-on-one against Brandon Roy or Andre Miller, but the help came anyways. Evans was unable to get the ball efficiently to the other side of the floor, and the Kings offense went blank.

The Kings ran a couple picks-and-rolls to create space, and it worked a bit. But not enough. It wasn't the only problem for the Kings, that fourth quarter offense, but it was the one most directly tied to Sacramento's defeat. Defensive rebounding was (surprise!) the problem. Portland had 12 offensive rebounds in 37 opportunities, and every last one came from a Blazer starter. You can't blame Jason Thompson (eight defensive rebounds in 40 minutes) or Evans (seven in 33 minutes). You can, however, blame Spencer Hawes (one defensive rebound in 28 minutes), who had perhaps his worst performance of the season on both ends. I don't remember one good possession on either end for Hawes. He couldn't keep LaMarcus Aldridge from his favored spots. He couldn't keep Aldridge or Joel Przybilla off the glass. He couldn't help facilitate the offense. He couldn't score. If not for Kenny Thomas's inability to make even the most clear lay-ups and Jon Brockman's shoddy free throw stroke, Hawes would have had no reason to be on the floor. Just a massive drain. I'm sorry to rip the kid, he's one of my favorites to watch when he's on. But he was off, way off, and it needs to be written.

The problem is that when players like Thompson or even Brockman are off, they still matter. On the defensive boards. On loose balls. On defense. On the offensive glass. It's just not the case right now with Hawes, and that's both a huge personal/personnel disappointment and also a gaping hole on the court. Przybilla is mostly an offensive zero (except on the glass). But he plays great defense, and boards like a beast. When Hawes is an offensive zero, he needs to be a wall to justify playing time.

Beyond that, the Kings can find more silver lining in the 10th road loss of the year. Sacramento owned most of the game. Before Evans drew the instant doubles, he did whatever he wanted. Nate McMillan told the media he thought Evans "has a little Magic in him." The Kings competed on the road against a good team without Sergio Rodriguez adding anything, with Donte Greene and Andres Nocioni playing iffy on offense, and with Hawes a disaster. It's still progress. It's not progress we long for -- a road win, .500 again -- but it's the progress we've got. It's hard to complain too much at this juncture.

Notes:

Greene's bucket with a minute left ... wow. When you see such smooth, confident moves from The Show, you can forget a lot of turnovers or quizzical drives.
The next possession, the Kings down three: Greene plays basically perfect defense on Roy, forcing him into a leaning jumper from 15 feet, in which Roy attempts to draw the foul after failing to get a step, but Greene essentially pulls the carpet out. Blazers get an offensive rebound which essentially seals the game (or at least leads to the Jerryd Bayless baseline drive which seals the game). How did Portland get that offensive rebound? Like they get most other offensive rebounds, of course! Evans, who was guarding Aldridge on the possession (seriously), got possession for the board, but didn't turn around to box out. When the shot bounced off the rim, Aldridge grabbed Evans's left arm, holding 'Reke to the ground, effectively. Aldridge released in time to grab the board himself. Mario Elie and Bryan Gates EXPLODE on the Kings bench at the no-call. I would call it a travesty of justice if a) Portland didn't do something similar on basically every missed attempt (which means the Kings need to sell it or strike pre-emptively) and b) Thompson does the same thing. You get offensive rebounds in this league by being aggressive and a bit dirty. Portland is a lot dirty. It's why they win.
On to actual travesties of justice: those two Przybilla charges drawn? PFFFFTTTT. We have this thing in the NBA called a restricted area. Dick Bavetta should look it up on Wikipedia.

Preview: Kings at Blazers

Ziller — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:00:20 -0000

by Don Ryan - AP

Greg Oden and Sean May, both bored for different reasons, break out the Twister game board. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

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THE OPPONENT

The Blazers have struggled, and not just because of the crippling injury to wonderbig Greg Oden. Portland struggled with Oden; losing him hasn't, as some argued it would, fixed things.

Actually, the whole matter of why the Blazers have struggled so much is a touchy subject, and I'd venture that 100 Portlanders would give you at least 25 or so different reasons. Steve Blake, Andre Miller, either or both. LaMarcus Aldridge's defense. A painfully slow method of offense. Not enough Jerryd Bayless. Injuries to Travis Outlaw, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez. Coaching. Energy. Faith. Confidence.

Whatever the case, strike before the toast cools. If you want that butter melted (in other words, if you want to win in Portland) you've got to act now (in other words, you've got to act ... oh, nevermind). Easier opportunities for road wins have come and passed. Others (Minnesota, Milwaukee) will come still. But this is a fine opportunity for traveling victory, insomuch as a healthy, correct Blazers team registers nearly unbeatable in the Rose Garden.

If there is one serious note of analysis I may offer, by which I mean stea, it is that the Kings are really bad in terms of giving up fast break points, but the Blazers are the team perhaps least likely to take advantage of that. (This might be doubly the case with Rudy out.) Regarding that second link, which regards the Blazers' habit of milking the shot clock for every last drip of time (MMMM ... time), do note that it is imperative (imperative!) for the Kings to

a) not bail Portland, or more specifically talented driver Brandon Roy, hesistant shooter Andre Miller and hesistant driver Aldridge, out with a foul with, say, six seconds or less left on the clock -- let them condemn their own bridge, aye,

and b) secure the defensive rebound, which is not something that cannot be said before all 82 games.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Brandon Roy	25	37.8	7.3	16.5	44.3	1.2	3.8	32.6	5.3	6.6	80.6	0.9	3.8	4.6	5.0	2.4	0.7	0.1	2.6	21.2
LaMarcus Aldridge	24	34.8	6.6	13.3	49.4	0.2	0.3	66.7	2.8	3.4	82.9	1.9	5.9	7.8	1.7	1.0	0.5	0.5	3.0	16.2
Andre Miller	25	27.4	3.7	8.9	41.4	0.3	1.3	25.0	3.7	4.6	80.7	0.8	2.0	2.8	4.5	2.2	0.8	0.1	2.1	11.4
Greg Oden	21	23.9	4.4	7.2	60.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.3	3.0	76.6	3.0	5.4	8.5	0.9	1.9	0.4	2.3	4.0	11.1
Travis Outlaw	11	21.0	3.5	9.2	37.6	1.1	2.8	38.7	1.9	2.2	87.5	1.2	2.3	3.5	0.7	1.1	0.6	0.7	1.2	9.9
Rudy Fernandez	20	23.3	2.8	6.6	42.4	1.6	4.0	38.7	1.5	1.8	82.9	0.6	2.1	2.7	2.3	1.9	1.6	0.1	1.4	8.6
Martell Webster	25	23.4	2.8	7.6	37.4	1.4	3.8	36.5	1.3	1.6	78.0	0.6	2.6	3.2	0.6	0.8	0.7	0.6	1.7	8.4
Steve Blake	25	30.4	2.5	6.9	36.4	1.5	4.3	34.3	0.6	0.9	69.6	0.3	2.4	2.7	4.0	1.6	0.7	0.0	1.3	7.2
Jerryd Bayless	18	10.6	1.8	3.4	51.6	0.1	0.4	28.6	2.1	2.8	76.0	0.2	0.7	0.9	1.1	0.6	0.2	0.0	1.8	5.8
Joel Przybilla	25	22.2	1.5	2.9	50.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.6	68.3	2.4	5.3	7.6	0.2	1.3	0.2	1.4	3.2	4.1
Juwan Howard	17	11.5	1.4	2.4	57.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.7	83.3	0.6	1.5	2.1	0.4	0.5	0.0	0.2	1.6	3.3
Dante Cunningham	15	8.1	1.4	2.5	55.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.5	28.6	0.9	1.1	2.0	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.9	2.9

THE KEY BATTLE

Aldridge vs. Jason Thompson. Two lovely offensive rebounders, two friends who can match outside jumpers ... but our pugilist is definitely more of a brawler. Despite his length, Aldridge is a perimeter-oriented power forward. According to HoopData.com, Aldridge takes 5.1 attempts per game from 10 feet or closer, and 7.2 attempts per game from further out. Thompson takes 7.1 attempts from within 10 feet, and just 3.3 from further. All this while, again, both are considered among the league's best offensive rebounders. All weird, man.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

Forget Kevin Pritchard. The Portland fans, or more accurately the Rose Garden experience, might be the most important northern blueprint for the Kings to follow. The Blazers tossed out the dirty pool from that awful post-2000 era, and the fans almost immediately returned. I hope we see that community re-engagement in Sacramento, though I fear the fact that Portland is more of an "only-game-in-town" scenario (due to the proximity of the Bay Area) and simple timing (with the economic crisis) makes it a bit uneven, or even unfair.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Sergio Rodriguez will threaten either his top assist watermark (12) or his worst turnover standard (six). Perhaps both.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 14,003. (The SRSS is back, batches!)

DETAILS

Portland is in the same time zone as us? Weird. 7 PM start. Game threads at 7 and 8, post-gamer at 9:45, recap sometime tomorrow.

Game 26 Preview: Kings vs. Blazers

Dave — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:00:35 -0000

by Bill Haber - AP

Not the best defensive strategy...

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Game Time: 7:00 P.M. TV: KGW

Well, well, well...look who's making a game go of it this season. The Sacramento Kings mosey into town with a 10-12 record, third in their division and within spitting distance of .500. Unfortunately they face a Blazers team also within spitting distance of .500 from the other direction. The saliva may come from spit-takes, rage, or just a drunken stupor from trying to drown your woes, but the spit is flying in Portland nevertheless. It's never, ever good for a team that is not meeting expectations to face a team that is meeting them and more. But that's what Portland faces tonight.

Sacramento's wins have come in clumps this season. They lost 4 of 5 to start the year, rattled off 4 straight wins, followed that up with 4 straight losses, then won 4 again and lost 4 again for good measure. Unfortunately for the Blazers they won against Minnesota the other night, which would make this Win #2 of 4 for them if the pattern holds. The Kings have had a couple of quality wins (Utah, Houston) but not many. The question, as always, is whether Portland is a quality team. I'll drink my coffee while you discuss.

The Kings love to shoot and they love to score. Their 47.8% shooting clip ranks them 5^th in the league. They're also 4^th in the league in three-point shooting at 38.1%. It's easier to list the guys on their team who can't fill it up: Sean May, Ime Udoka, Desmond Mason, Kenny Thomas, Jon Brockman. Not coincidentally I just mentioned 5 of the 6 lowest players on the rotation totem pole. That means all of the guys you're going to actually see you have to defend. Five guys on the floor, all the time.

This isn't unusual for a Sacramento squad, but they're doing a couple of things to bolster their overall game this season. First they're scoring a lot of those points in the paint, and this despite having a decidedly perimeter-oriented center in Spencer Hawes. You can thank a couple of things. First, they fast-break fairly well. Second, say hello to Jason Thompson. The guy's already had 7 games of 20 points or more this year. He's shooting over 50%, drawing 5 fouls per game, nabbing 9 rebounds a night including an amazing 3.6 offensive boards...what's not to like?

And he's not even the biggest story on the Kings this year. That honor belongs to rookie point guard Tyreke Evans who in the absence of super-scorer Kevin Martin is averaging a cool 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists for the season. Take that, Brandon Jennings! He also draws fouls and he's a fair pickpocket besides.

After those two the roster gets more familiar. Point guard Beno Udrih still loves him some scoring. But this year because of all of the attention being drawn elsewhere he's averaging an incredible 55% from the field. Forward Andres Nocioni still has the green light from the three-point arc and still hits them. Spencer Hawes will face you up for the jumper and helps Thompson corral those offensive boards. Donte Green is filling in for Martin at shooting guard but is sporadic in his production. The last two names in the regular rotation have Blazer connections. Rookie small forward Omri Casspi, rumored to be on Portland's short draft list, is shooting 52% from the field, 49% from the arc, and has scored in double figures in 9 of the last 10 games he's played. And then our old friend Sergio Rodriguez haunts the Sacramento roster. He's only gotten steady playing time in the last three weeks or so but he responded with games of 16, 15, and famously 24 against the Hornets at the end of last month. Both his shooting and three-point percentages are stellar so far and he's managing to drop a few dimes in his 17-ish minutes per game.

Despite the offensive success Sacramento still faces a familiar bugaboo. They defend like a wet Kleenex. And I guarantee you the Kleenex people are angry about that reference. They allow the same marvelous 47%+ field goal clip that they shoot. Only Minnesota and New Jersey allow more fast break points per game. Their defensive efficiency is below the dreaded Golden State line. Only Memphis allows more points in the paint. As a result they score 105 and give up 105. They can't outrun their shortcomings nor can they shoot them dead. They're forced to rely on getting more good shots than their opponents. As mentioned above that's often directly related to how good the opponent is with the possible addition of how hard the opponent plays. The question, as always, is whether Portland will play hard tonight. I'll drink my coffee while you discuss.

In all seriousness this could be a bad matchup for the Blazers. The Kings play their entire available roster and run with them. The Blazers have 9 players healthy and generally prefer to walk. Portland has trouble defending 2 guys, let alone 5 at a time. The possibilities off of a single screen are staggering, especially when you consider one of their big men can shoot. They've got an aggressive point guard. They've got multiple people who have to be guarded on the perimeter. That's a lot for the Blazers to keep up with.

On the other hand the Blazers need a win tonight like Frosty needs a freezer. In case it slipped your mind it's Phoenix on Thursday then on the road for four against Orlando, Miami, Dallas, and San Antonio, then back for Denver and Philadelphia, whom the Blazers never seem to play well. Carrying three straight losses into that Phoenix game would be sad. And the month could go from sad to pathetic really quickly. Looking up at the Kings in the standings was not on Portland's to-do list for 2010. But the dawn of the new year could see exactly that if the Blazers aren't careful.

Keys to the Game

Where to start?

1. No matter what else happens the Blazers have to score. They probably need to do it by driving the lane as well. Getting into a jump-shooting contest with the Kings is a bad idea, especially with half a roster. They'll foul if you drive. Eventually they'll let you score if you drive. Just drive once in a while, please?

2. If you're looking to take points away from them the easiest places to start are the most basic: get back in transition, take away their offensive boards. LaMarcus Aldridge will almost certainly be watching Spencer Hawes tonight but he needs to remember that even though Hawes likes the jumper he will also go for offensive rebounds. Your job isn't over when the ball goes up.

3. The real problem here is that Portland needs to defend a good perimeter scorer, a good low scorer, plus guys who can drain threes around them. That screams straight man-to-man but the Blazers are spotty and prefer to throw zones and switches in there. An occasional zone might change things up but those switches on picks are going to be a killer. Remember Hawes can shoot. If you can figure out how to solve this issue with the current roster you're a better person than I. But the Blazers are going to have to do something to avoid being picked into oblivion.

4. Whatever happens, keep the energy up. Pursuant to that, I hope the crowd is into it tonight.

Final Thoughts

For the first time in a long time I don't have a great gauge on the Blazers right now. I'm not saying I can predict every game correctly but I usually have a decent feel for what kind of game it's going to be. Lately it's been a grab-bag. That's not comfortable for me and I can't imagine it's comfortable for the players involved either. Despite the offensive prowess this is a team against whom you can start dictating some things. That might be a good idea tonight.

Say hello to SactownRoyalty

Enter tonight's Jersey Contest here.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Kings Destroy Wolves 120-100

Ziller — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:46:23 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Reggie Theus, left, remembers how it feels to lose by 20 in ARCO Arena. Head coach Kurt Rambis, right, tries to remember where he put his lunch receipt. (AP Photo/Steve Yeater)

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The optimistic can honestly believe the Kings defense tightened up in the second half, because it did, a good degree. The Kings sealed off the defensive glass better than they had in the second quarter, where they gave up six Minnesota offensive rebounds in 14 opportunities. Minnesota also shot much worse in the third frame (9-24) and Sacramento ripped away four steals during the period. The Sacramento defense played well ...

... and a really terrible offense, one which looked exceedingly tired. On its best days, Minnesota isn't going to be a fireworks show. And Saturday wasn't one of Minnesota's best days. So I'm chalking this victory (in which the Wolves scored 100 points in 105 possessions) up to minor defensive improvement against a really crummy opponent.

It'd be difficult to understate how bad a group of shooters Minnesota plays. Aykis hit on this in his "View" in the FanPosts, but seriously ... it's a wonder this team ever scores from outside of 10 feet. Missed shots that hit front iron are typically assigned exhaustion as a cause, but that's where the misses hit all night. Clank clank clank. Minnesota shot 43 percent from the field, in the second half just 36 percent. But again, that's not terribly rare: on the season the Wolves shoot 44 percent.

Meanwhile, the Kings offense hummed, scoring those 120 points in 105 possessions for an offensive rating near 115. Of the rotation players, only Donté Greene could be marked as inefficient (2-11 floor, 1 tov), but he was fantastic on defense in the halfcourt and in transition. Jason Thompson shared ownership of the paint with Al Jefferson, Spencer Hawes made deft passes, Tyreke Evans played well (even though he seemed muted most of the night ... I'll take 18/5/5, especially since most of that came during the contested first half). Sergio Rodriguez had -- and this is not a joke, this actually happened -- six assists in a 6-1/2 minute stint during the second quarter, and three assists in a 2-1/2 minte stint during the third. Nine minutes, nine assists, zero turnovers. (He also happened to be a +17 in those minutes.) His fourth quarter (no assists, four turnovers in 12 minutes) clouds Rodriguez's real impact, considering the game was never contested during the fourth.

In such a dominant win, there's really not much to say. The Kings definitely have more work to do on defense. But that's irrelevant against tired, terrible teams like the Wolves. The Blazers in Portland will be a far stronger test of whether this team can put together enough defense to be a season-long success story.

Preview: Kings at Hornets

Ziller — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:00:16 -0000

by Steve Yeater - AP

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THE OPPONENT

The Kings know no opponent better than the Hornets, because the teams have already faced off twice. This will be the Kings' second foray into New Orleans Arena. In the first match, the Hornets pulled out a narrow victory with both Chris Paul and Kevin Martin. The Kings knocked out the Hornets minus Paul in Sacramento during the last homestand. Paul has since returned.

New Orleans has played only once in the past week: Friday's home win over Minnesota in Paul's re-entry. Paul played lovely, with 16 points, 15 assists and eight steals. (Yes, eight steals. New Orleans gained nine steals, and Paul had eight of them. Good grief.) Each of Devin Brown, David West and Emeka Okafor scored at least 17 points in that win, too. Al Jefferson was the only Wolf who got off (20 points).

The key question in Paul's return was how the minutes of surprising rookies Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton would be affected. Collison played 18 minutes off the bench, occasionally playing in the same unit as Paul. Thornton tallied only 12 minutes. Upon taking over the team, Jeff Bower made it a point to insist Collison and Thornton would get playing time. We'll see if that increases tonight, especially considering the Hornets play tomorrow on the road, and again at home Friday.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Chris Paul	11	34.4	8.3	14.2	58.3	1.8	2.9	62.5	4.7	5.5	85.2	0.3	3.4	3.6	9.7	2.2	2.3	0.1	2.8	23.1
David West	19	35.0	6.3	14.1	44.6	0.1	0.2	25.0	2.8	3.4	84.4	2.6	4.2	6.8	2.6	1.7	0.8	0.8	2.5	15.4
Peja Stojakovic	17	27.8	3.9	10.5	36.9	2.5	6.5	37.8	1.2	1.3	90.9	0.9	3.1	3.9	1.2	0.6	0.5	0.1	1.5	11.4
Marcus Thornton	14	19.4	4.2	9.8	43.1	1.4	4.0	33.9	1.4	1.9	74.1	0.6	0.9	1.6	0.9	0.9	0.7	0.0	1.7	11.2
Darren Collison	15	22.5	3.9	8.9	43.3	0.5	1.1	41.2	2.7	2.9	90.9	0.5	1.7	2.3	4.2	1.8	0.9	0.0	1.1	10.9
Emeka Okafor	19	30.1	4.5	8.2	55.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	3.4	52.3	3.2	6.9	10.2	0.5	1.5	0.6	1.9	2.9	10.8
Devin Brown	15	22.3	3.1	8.1	37.7	1.2	3.3	36.7	2.3	2.9	79.5	0.9	2.4	3.3	2.3	2.0	0.7	0.1	1.8	9.7
Bobby Brown	17	16.4	3.2	7.9	40.3	0.9	3.4	25.9	0.4	0.4	100.0	0.0	0.9	0.9	2.6	1.4	0.5	0.1	1.4	7.6
Morris Peterson	7	16.4	2.1	6.7	31.9	1.0	4.0	25.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	0.3	1.3	1.6	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.0	1.4	5.6
James Posey	19	22.4	1.7	4.4	39.8	1.1	2.7	39.2	1.0	1.2	86.4	0.4	2.9	3.3	1.5	0.9	0.7	0.3	2.3	5.5
Darius Songaila	19	15.4	2.4	4.5	52.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.6	0.6	100.0	0.7	1.9	2.6	0.9	1.1	0.8	0.3	2.1	5.4
Julian Wright	15	13.9	1.4	3.4	41.2	0.1	0.3	25.0	0.5	0.6	77.8	0.7	2.1	2.8	0.7	1.0	0.2	0.2	0.7	3.3
Hilton Armstrong	15	14.4	1.1	3.0	35.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9	1.6	54.2	1.1	2.7	3.7	1.0	0.8	0.5	0.4	2.7	3.0
Sean Marks	5	7.4	0.4	1.0	40.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4	50.0	2.4	1.6	4.0	0.4	0.4	0.0	0.4	1.6	1.0

THE KEY BATTLE

Paul vs. Tyreke Evans. This was a dandy of a knife fight the first time around, and I expect nothing less. Paul's quickness versus Reke's strength versus Paul's passing ability versus Reke's penetration ... a bevy of weapons.

INTERESTING SIDESHOW

Given how out-of-control and manic Sergio Rodriguez was during his 12 minutes Sunday, I'll be interested to see whether a) he plays much better, like Sergio! and not Sergio?!?, and b) how short of a leash Paul Westphal puts on him otherwise. I mean, the Kings have a great starting point guard, and a back-up point guard who has played phenomenally this year. If Sergio were, say, a player like Bobby Brown, there'd be no reason to play him ever, except in cases of foul trouble and injury. Third-string point guards get little play around the league. The reason you play Sergio is because he's awesome. If he's not, you can hide him.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

Donte Greene will outscore Devin Brown.

NUMERIC PREDICTION

Kings by 1. And New Orleans will never forget the name Bron Jockman.

DETAILS

5 PM Pacific tip-off. Game thread at 5 PM. Game thread No. 2 at 6 PM. Post-game thread at 7:45 PM. Recap at beer-thirty.

IC Cold Links: Waiting On The Pacers vs. Kings

Tom Lewis — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:38:04 -0000

Could this be the night Dahntay Jones starts over Brandon Rush?

Bruno's Scouting Report broaches the subject and and it seems like the time is now for a change. The Sacramento Kings offer up some crazy matchup problems, what with a 6'11" shooting guard and 6'7" center in the starting lineup. But the biggest problem is their stout, 6'6" rookie point guard, Tyreke Evans who was just named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month.

It would be nice to have Dahntay Jones following the rookie's every move, but initially T.J. Ford or Earl Watson will have to try to pester Evans. I know, this sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen, but the Pacers only succeed with a full team effort on defense and with some of these odd matchups that team mentality should take root out of pure necessity. Plus, the Kings normally spend more time playing with a traditional lineup by sliding Evans to the two-guard and bringing Beno Udrih and Sergio Rodriguez in to play the point.

Any way you slice it, I'm looking forward to seeing how the Pacers attack the Kings tonigt. And attack they must, or they'll be left on the side of the road again dragging another L with them to Salt Lake City.

A few more links of interest after the jump.

Pacers must put up better defense
Mike Wells reports on the Pacers looking to shore up their defense at the point of attack with another scoring guard to contend with tonight in Tyreke Evans.
Video: Dahntay Jones springboards off Monta Ellis - Ball Don't Lie
Forget the poster, this is Dahntay's Picasso over Monta Ellis.
Game #15 Recap: The Monta Ellis Show
Jared Wade at Eight Points, Nine Seconds recaps the Dubs second-half destruction of the Pacers.
Kings game plan vs. Indiana - Sacramento Sports
Quick preview of tonight's game from the Sacramento Bee.
Team celebrates Evans' accolade
Sam Amick reports on Tyreke Evans lifting the Kings' spirits after being named Western Conference Rookie of the Month yesterday.
Let's Not Decide the Rookie of the Year Race Just Yet...
Zach Harper makes the case that despite Brandong Jenning bursting on the scene early in his rookie year, that Tyreke Evans and his steady (and huge) play for the Kings deserves the same amount of attention. So let the rooks play it out before locking up your ROY vote too early.
Also, I will be talking about the Pacers this evening on WNDE-1260AM around 5:30PM with Zakk from Indy Sports Nation who is hosting The Drive today while WNDE tries to figure out how to replace JMV.

Sergio, Thompson Lead Kings Back to .500 With 112-96 Win Over Hornets

Ziller — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:32:41 -0000

by Steve Yeater - AP

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With Kevin Martin and Spencer Hawes sidelined, you'd figure that New Orleans' ploy to stop the Kings by focusing its defense on Tyreke Evans would be smart. But then, you did not count on Sergio Rodriguez.

Rodriguez had a phenomenal effort off the bench, scoring 24 points in 24 minutes, shooting 9-14 from the floor and adding five assists (several of them spectacular) with zero turnovers. Beno Udrih, coming off the bench behind Donte Greene again, had played well in his early minutes (13 points on 5-5 shooting with three steals), but took a 'Reke knee to the head in some sort of weird Shaolin Space Ninja defensive move Evans decided to try out. Sergio stepped right in and blew up the Hornets defense, getting to the rim at will and adjusting to looming shotblockers with some beautiful passes.

Jason Thompson, meanwhile, did what Jason Thompson do. That might seem like something Reggie Miller would say, but damn, I'm sorry, J.T. did exactly what you expect from him: rebounded like a hyperactive Tyrannosaurus Rex and scored on a variety of clever moves around the rim. When Spencer Hawes showed up in a suit, you knew how vital Thompson would be for the Kings to be successful in an evenly matched game. J.T. delivered exactly what the Kings needed.

Everyone did, really. Every single King who got on the floor made a positive contribution, which is rare even among the deepest teams. Evans, though limited offensively, hit some key shots, made fairly good decisions overall, and played solid defense. (He actually took David West for a few possessions, and did better than anyone else had.) Greene played short minutes again (due to excellent performances from Sergio and Beno), but still managed to eek off seven points, three rebounds, three assists (two of them memorable), a steal and a block. Jon Brockman was a maniac, diving for a loose ball with a double-digit lead in the closing minutes. Andres Nocioni hit three big threes, Kenny Thomas (who started for the first time since 1983, it's true, look it up) did his best to limit West and Emeka Okafor (with limited success, admittedly). Omri Casspi continues to more resemble a Bond villain than a basketball player, except whereas a Bond villain eventually succumbs to savvy power of Britain's top special agent, Casspi hits dagger turnaround jumpers in the lane. (Otherwise, very similar.)

NBA Stats

It's been written endlessly through the month, but really, this team has amazing spirit. We first saw it manifest in New Orleans, actually, when the team pulled together to rally a near-win on the opening road trip. We saw it again against Memphis in the team's first win, and against Atlanta, with Martin playing like an MVP. And in Utah, and against the Warriors ... and in almost every game since. (I'll list the second Memphis game as the exception -- the energy was good if ineffective against Chicago.) More smiles have been executed in ARCO Arena in nine games than in all 41 last year.

A season ago, the team earned its eighth win on December 30. Five teams have better home records than the Kings right now (Suns, Lakers, Spurs, Nuggets, Hawks). Tyreke "Not a Real Point Guard" Evans has this offense ranked No. 6 in the league. The turnaround has just been unbelievable. And yes, it's going to get old, but every win reaffirms it as truth.

Sacramento's Point Guards, 2008-09 vs 2009-10

Ziller — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:00:38 -0000

by Mark Weber - AP

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A quick survey of Sacramento's point guard play last season, in comparison (err, in contrast) with this year's play at the position. Remember that PER has 15 set as the league average.

2008-09
Beno Udrih, 12.3 PER
Bobby Jackson, 12.4 PER
Bobby Brown, 7.7 PER

2009-10
Tyreke Evans, 17.4 PER
Beno Udrih, 16.2 PER
Sergio Rodriguez, 18.3 PER

The head of the dragon does a lot to dictate where the body goes. Clearly, this year's version has been a huge improvement.

Kings Hold Off Nets 109-96

Ziller — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:38:10 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

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When Lawrence Frank went to the Hack-a-Jew strategy, intentionally putting Omri Casspi on the free throw line late in the fourth quarter with the winless Nets down by three possessions, I knew this game had ended.

It was spooky until then, with New Jersey quickly erasing Sacramento's 17-point halftime lead to get the game within two possessions in the third quarter. The Nets hung around, allowing the Kings a few spurts but always answering. It was just as nerve-wracking as that Parcheesi game I mentioned Friday. Basketball is a crazy game (cliche!), and when you get into a close game, it doesn't matter what your record is. Anything can happen.

But Frank, still coaching his ass off, decided to put the game in Casspi's hands. Omri has shot three-pointers about as well as free throws. But when Frank put him on the line, Casspi nailed 3-4 and ended that strategy quickly. And, oddly, though Omri has had his struggles from the stripe, I had a great feeling about each of those shots. There's something about Omri, some burgeoning swagger that leaks out in grimaces and chest pounds, but still somehow feels like it's being kept in check by an invisible lid. All this spirit we see from Casspi, and it's just the surface. This well runs deep.

The first quarter was a rather brilliant span of basketball for Sacramento, resulting in a 33-20 lead. The Kings defended well, holding N.J. to those 20 points over 25 possessions. A key was keeping the Nets off the offensive boards -- the Kings gave up two N.J. offensive rebounds in 14 opportunities in the first. That was the biggest difference between the first and the third, where New Jersey tallied nine offensive rebounds in 17 opportunities -- just a ridiculous number. One other second half problem was that the Kings didn't grab a single offensive rebound in the third or fourth quarters, a shocking finish given how good the Kings have been on the offensive glass this season. (Jason Thompson didn't have a single offensive rebound all game. Only Spencer Hawes -- with two -- had more than one among all Kings. Josh Boone had five, Chris Douglas-Roberts had three.)

Speaking of Douglas-Roberts: he's the reason Donte Greene received only six minutes in the second half. Greene didn't play poorly -- he's just not quick enough to guard two-guards like CD-R, and that seemed like a real problem with this particular starting line-up once Devin Harris warmed up his engine. (Harris was awful in the first half, great in the third, OK in the fourth.) Tyreke Evans (another great game, with 21 points on 18 shooting possessions, and eight rebounds) had trouble staying in front of the lightning quick Harris on a few consecutive possessions, and with Lopez demanding attention in the paint, CD-R was able to go one-on-one with The Show, and CD-R won. That resulted in a second half full of two- and three-PG line-ups. Thankfully, both Beno Udrih (21 on 12) and Sergio Rodriguez (six points, three assists, one turnover) played well. In the paint, Kenny Thomas eventually got his shot (after Sean May stunk up the joint in relief of the sore Hawes) at Lopez, and K-9 did fantastic work.

None of that good work matters, of course, if Omri misses a couple free throws to validate Frank's strategy. But the kid has swag, and it showed.