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Question of the Game: Ben McLemore

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Have a question for Ben McLemore? Leave it in this thread and it may get answered today after the Kings take on the New Orleans Pelicans.

Today's Question of the Game is for Kings shooting guard Ben McLemore.

After his up and down rookie season, McLemore has been much better in the 2014-15 campaign. His defense has improved and so has his shooting percentages - through 10 games he is shooting 44 percent from the field (37 percent last season) and 40 percent from three (32 percent last season).

The Question of the Game thread allows Str readers to pose a question for a particular player during a home game. Based on which question gets the highest number of recs (and the reasonableness of the question), I will track the player down and ask them that question during the postgame. The answer will then be posted right here in the thread.

So what do you want to ask Ben? Leave your question in this thread and start pressing those rec buttons!


Pelicans 106, Kings 100: Kings unable to overcome third quarter collapse

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The Kings come out flat after the halftime break and are unable to recover as the Pelicans steal one in Sacramento

The Sacramento Kings have been a largely starter-reliant squad thus far this year. The bench has proven to be shallow, but the starting unit has been one of the top ranked units in the league. And when the starters struggle, the Kings have very little chance of winning. Unfortunately, thats exactly what happened coming out of the locker room, as the New Orleans Pelicans rode a 31-15 third quarter thumping to win 106 -100.

It's unfortunate because the Kings really came out playing well in the first half. Led by DeMarcus Cousins, Darren Collison, and Jason Thompson, the Kings raced out to an early double digit lead in the first quarter (where does this sound familiar?). Cousins took full advantage of the absence of Omer Asik, ending the game with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists on 10/18 shooting. Collison led the Kings with 8 assists at halftime, half of their total 16 assists. The ball was moving, the defense was stout, and the Kings were looking at a 9 point lead at the half. Thompson matched Anthony Davis point-for-point in the first quarter, setting a season high in 12 minutes with 12 points.

Sadly, the offense ground to a furious halt in the third quarter, and the defense completely lost track of the Pelicans. Davis continued to hurt the Kings, and while Thompson did a good job slowing down the Pelicans phenom one-on-one, Davis used his athleticism and skills to make an impact, scoring off of lobs, getting steals leading to fastbreaks, and attacking the offensive glass. Davis finished the game with an effortless 28 points and 9 rebounds on 11/19 shooting from the field. During this quarter, Sacramento native Ryan Anderson also came alive. Anderson struggled shooting in the first half, but blasted the Kings after the halftime break, hitting 3/5 three pointers and punishing the Kings' defensive switching scheme which frequently left a smaller guard (usually Collison or Ray McCallum) to guard him in the post. Anderson finished with a cool 22 points on 9/17 shooting (4/12 from three).

In the meantime, the Kings offense completely derailed into a trainwreck One of the main issues was overdribbling around the perimeter. Rudy Gay in particular had a terrible stint, missing shots that are usually money for him around the rim and struggling to get position against the diminutive but stout Eric Gordon. Gay finished the game with 15 points, 4 boards and 3 assists. Ben McLemore royally struggled all game, and while he tried to make some things happen offensively through aggressive takes, simply struggled with his shooting and decision-making. Indeed, the only thing the Kings had going was Cousins, who continually attacked the Pelicans interior, but the Pelicans selectively employed a clever zone that kept Cousins from getting the ball as frequently as he should have.

The Kings' bench could not get the team back on track. McCallum got the nod ahead of Sessions and didn't make an enormous impact in the game. Nik Stauskas hit a couple shots in the first half, but was invisible the rest of the way, getting blocked by Luke Babbit of all players, and notably being unable to corral Gordon in the third quarter. The best play came from Omri Casspi, who scored 13 points on 5/11 shooting from his patented aggression. Casspi was out of control and missing everything early, but late his patented million-miles-per-hour play gave the Kings a shot down the stretch. Unfortunately, the Kings could never quite shut down the Pelicans in crunch time, and a Tyreke Evans dagger over Cousins' outstretched hands finally put it out of reach.

The Kings have major issues they need to address. They still seem unable to consistently break down a zone defense, which causes the offense to revert into overdribbling on the perimeter. The bench still remains an enormous question mark, seemingly unable to neither boost the starters when they struggle nor keep a lead the starters develop. Shooting from the perimeter continues to let the Kings down when they need it most, and although the percentage tonight was decent (4/10 or 40% from three overall), the volume is just too low, and half of those shots came from Collison. The Kings have work to do before a tough opponent in the Bulls roll in on Thursday and then the team heads out for a brutal road trip to end the month.

For the opponent's perspective, visit The Bird Writes

BSOTS Round Table: Is there reason to worry about the Phoenix Suns?

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The Phoenix Suns are off to a sluggish 6-5 start, despite their playoffs aspirations. Should we be worried at all about how this season is going? Our writers share their opinions.

We are now 11 games into the young Phoenix Suns 2014-2015 season, and the Suns sit at a less than stellar 6-5 despite a home-heavy opening schedule.  The Suns have had some difficulty adjusting to their new three point guard rotation. I think we have a decent enough sample size to start discussing what works and doesn't work for this team so far.  Granted, it's still early, but let's begin.

1. This Suns team is only 6-5, after completing a lousy 2-3 home stand.  Is there any reason to sound the alarms for this team?

Garrett Benson: I don't think so. It's way too early to panic. The Suns have added a major rotation piece in Isaiah Thomas, and it simply takes time to adjust to such a major change. There's going to be growing pains for a while but I just think this team is too talented to play only .500 ball. Once everyone has a better feel for their respective roles and egos are tamed, I think we'll start to see a product that more closely resembles last year's squad. Remember, last year the Suns got off to a 9-9 start.  It took them a while to get going, but then the Suns ripped off a 10-3 record in December. It takes a while for young teams to find their grooves. There's no reason to think that this Suns team won't.

Geoff Allen: No. Many of us predicted this team as a 45-50 win team. We're going to lose games. We're going to lose entirely winnable games. That doesn't mean there is something inherently wrong with the team.

Dave King: There are definitely some warning signs, but nothing that a little time can't resolve. The Suns are still a young team with less NBA experience than most any other NBA team, yet they are fighting for the playoffs. There will be growing pains, some of which are seen in the fight for "mine". My minutes. My stats. My team. My future. Once the newness of the season wears off and it becomes a grind, I think Hornacek will rally the troops back into the all-for-one concept.

Jim Coughenour: It's been a tumultuous start to the season, but I think it's more of a case of growing pains than systemic flaws. For every concern, like the chemistry issues and inconsistency among the team's guards, there is a beacon of hope, like the improvement of Alex Len and (continued in his case) Markieff Morris. The team seems to be muddling along right now, struggling to form an identity... and the Suns are still 6-5. If they can grow and evolve they can still be a force to be reckoned with.

Sean Sullivan:  I'm a believer in the 20 game rule...excluding extreme cases like the Sixers, of course.  I don't think it's time to panic yet...not even close.  For one, the Suns still have a winning record at the moment.  In addition, the Suns are still playing with the rotations and the minutes to see what works best.  We may see some changes in the near future that could change the dynamic of this team without having to make any trades.  There are still a lot of things we don't know about this team yet, and there is no reason to panic this early.

Kellan Olson: I don't know about sounding the alarms, but I'd definitely say that there is some reason for concern. The way this team has been playing and the way they've gone about losing has met some of my lowest expectations for the season. I don't think anyone expected some of these players to look as flat as they sometimes have, and there's still a rotation to figure out. It's still way too early to start sounding alarms though.

2. What is the most glaring issue the Suns have right now?

DK: Settling the rotations. Seems like there's new combinations on the floor every night. Some of that is due to P.J. Tucker's weird season - suspended 4 of the first 11 games now, after the Celtics game - while some is working in the new PG rotation. It will work itself out over time. The players are just too good to stay at .500 all season.

GB: The lack of fire from the starting five is...concerning. They have a lot of trouble opening up games, and Dragic and Bledsoe have had to take a backseat to Gerald Green and Thomas in a few fourth quarters.  The chemistry just doesn't look like it's there yet. These guys are not playing for each other yet, and it's not hard to tell. I went to the game against the Sacramento Kings, and there was a moment when Miles Plumlee and PJ Tucker were yelling and cursing at each other about a defensive lapse on Plumlee's part. Stuff like that, and seeing Bledsoe occasionally pouting, is not what you want to see from a team that had such great chemistry last season. The team needs to start pulling together if they're to meet their playoff aspirations.

GA: I know its probably not the most popular opinion, but I think the play from Plumlee has been a big problem. He just hasn't been as impactful as he was last season. His efficiency isn't a whole lot different from last season, but his rebounding and usage rates are down. This is largely the result of him getting far fewer offensive rebounds. If Plumlee isn't rebounding, he does not fit in with this starting unit.

JC: Establishing roles and building an identity. The addition of Isaiah Thomas has been more ripples than would have been preferred. The strength of the team (guard play) is still finding its way. Now there are three point guards who are used to being primary ball handlers and they need to feel each other out. It's a difficult proposition to learn when to defer and when to be aggressive. The departure of Frye and the recent emergence of Len further complicates a young team that will need some time to develop.

SS: Inconsistency.  I know the easy answer would be to blame the struggles on the loss of Channing Frye, and the inability to find a player to fill that role, but I suspect if you were to replace Keef with Frye in the starting line-up, and replace Tolliver with Keef in the second unit, we would either be in the same boat, or slightly worse off.  I think the inconsistency of the three guards has been the biggest issue so far, with one or two of them seemingly switching it on and back off on a rotating basis.  The good news is that I expect this to be resolved as they continue playing together, and we have already seen some improvement from the starting unit.  The Suns just need to find their rhythm offensively and figure out how to play together, and I think they will.

KO: I would say it's the ball movement on offense. The Suns showed what they can do on Monday, with 30 assists on 48 field goals including at least five from four of the starters. That was against a really poor defense though, and there's no way this team should finish 29th in assists again with the sort of firepower they have on offense. Having three really good point guards in your rotation should fix this, but that's not necessarily the case. Isaiah Thomas has shown that he can bring more playmaking off of the bench at times, but it really is no secret to everyone what he's trying to do when he has the ball and he could bring so much more to this team if he tried to do a little bit more playmaking. Moving the ball around consistently will keep everyone happy and that along with more flow to the offense is good for everyone.

3. Who has been the biggest disappointment to you so far this season? Biggest surprise?

GB: Maybe it was silly to think so, but I was really thinking Anthony Tolliver would be a good fit on the second unit. We haven't seen too much from him yet, and he's only shooting 33% from 3 after a 41% output last season. He's definitely no Channing Frye replacement. Tolliver's shot is slow to get off, and he really hasn't done too much to improve the spacing. Then again, he might just need to get into a groove, as it took him a while to become a regular cog in Charlotte's rotation last year. As far as surprises go, it's got to be Alex Len. He's still just a kid out there but you can really start to see the potential this kid has lately.  That free throw line jump shot is looking pretty nice. If that continues to develop, as well as his rim protection, we might be seeing Alex Len in the starting lineup sometime this season.

GA: Tolliver seems to be the obvious choice for biggest disappointment, but I'll go with Eric Bledsoe. He hasn't looked like a guy you give $70 million dollars to so far. Most disappointing is the fact that his defense really hasn't been there in my eyes. Len seems like he is going to be the obvious choice for biggest surprise, and I'm going to echo that. I expected the team to really, really regret not keeping Earl Barron because I didn't think Len was ready. He has definitely proved me wrong.

DK: I've got to echo Geoff here. The biggest disappointment has to be Eric Bledsoe. He looks like the 15/5/5 guy we thought we were getting last year. The one who can't shoot and can't really run a team but has uber-skills to impact the game in other ways. I think he will come around, but for now he's a disappointment to me. The biggest surprise has to be Alex Len. He looks like a kid with the highest ceiling of any center we've had in Phoenix in, like, forever. He can shoot, score, defend, rebound, protect the rim... and even run and finish his own fast break. Wow.

JC: I am most disappointed in and by P.J. Tucker. He started off the season on suspension, hasn't made a significant impact on the season and managed to get himself suspended again for missing the bus. He's missed the bus on the whole season. Coach Hornacek said in an interview that in his entire playing career he could count on one hand how many times he can remember a player missing a bus. P.J. was supposed to be a leader on this team. It's about time he acts like one and starts to make his presence felt on the court. My biggest surprise has been Goran's slow start. I really thought he was going to build upon last season and stay in the conversation of being an All-Star/All-NBA player. 15 points and three assists a game isn't getting it done. Hopefully he is adjusting and rounding back into form since he had his best game of the season against Boston.

SS:  Tolliver.  I thought he could come in and help space the floor and provide the offense with driving lanes through which the guards could operate, but that simply hasn't been the case thus far.  I don't really blame the struggles on him, specifically, it's just that he hasn't made the impact that I was hoping to see.  The biggest surprise has been Alex Len, who has played above and beyond what I thought he was ready to contribute this season.  He surprises me in almost every game that he plays in, and his emergence could be the deciding factor that gets the Suns into the playoffs this year, if he can stay healthy.

KO: I have to go with Tolliver on the disappointment. I saw him in the preseason and like a couple of other people on this site believed that he could start the opener. It's been a really rough start to the season for him, and if he can't hit threes there's no purpose in him being on the floor unfortunately. The biggest surprise is easily Alex Len. I've been one of the biggest naysayers on that draft and it looks like he is going to prove me wrong. He's a confident player who stays active on both ends and really understands how to use his length. I honestly might have freaked out more about his elbow jumper Monday than his breakaway slam. Len is 10% better than Plumlee on contested rebounds and players shoot 6% worse when Len is defending them instead of Plumlee. I didn't think we would be at a point this season where we'd start thinking about a new starting center and new options at power forward off the bench (T.J.?), but here we are.

4. Who needs to step up their game on this team, and in what way?

GB: I think it's some sort of combination of Bledsoe, Dragic, and Coach Hornacek. Dragic needs to be the guy on this team, and Hornacek needs to find more ways to give Dragic that opportunity, whether that means getting him the ball more often or playing him more minutes. An All-NBA third teamer should not be playing second or third fiddle to two other point guards. Bledsoe, on the other hand, really needs to start playing like $70 player. His defense will keep him in the starting lineup, but he's turning over the ball way too much at this point and hasn't looked like the guy that was ripping off 30 point/near triple double outings at the end of last season. He's probably not ecstatic to be losing minutes to Thomas at the end of games, but Hornacek needs to find a way to bring balance and cohesion to his point guard unit.

DK: It's Bledsoe and Dragic - the original Slash Brothers. And the entire starting lineup, overall. Seems like the returning players have come in this year with a hangover. Give them a bloody mary and let's get going!

GA: I think its Hornacek, to be honest. The Suns have an overabundance of rotation players, and Hornacek's policy of sticking with the hot hand, while useful early in the season, seems like it could wear thin. Great coaches determine who in the rotation is going to play big minutes based off of matchups, previous performances, and a lot of deep game tape evaluation. It seems like the coaching staff wasn't as prepared as they should have been about how they were going to manage minutes.

JC: Bledsoe, Dragic and Plumlee. I think there should be a rule somewhere that players with $70 million dollar contracts aren't allowed to score one point in a game. Then it felt like Goran went about half a month without hitting a three (because he did). I have been consistently underwhelmed by the play of Dragic and Bledsoe. I think Isaiah, Gerald Green and Markieff Morris have had more to do with us still being above .500 than Goran and Eric. It shouldn't be that way. Those two need to take charge and get their shit together. Miles, meanwhile, has regressed from a 12/12 per 36 to a 9/9 per 36 and has games where he's basically an empty jersey. I guess the benefit of that is Len getting extra playing time. Either way, the Suns are thin up front and need contributions from both of them.

SS: Bledsoe and Dragic.  This team goes as they go.  Although the Suns won a couple of games on the backs of Isaiah and Green, they were never meant to carry the load...only to help complement the already potent scoring attack of Bledsoe and Dragic.  On the bright side, both have been improving and stepping up recently, so hopefully this is a sign of better things to come.

KO: I think it's Bledsoe, Dragic, and Hornacek. I echo everyone's points on the rotation, as it's not even close to where it needs to be and that's not even touching on the ball distribution. Dragic needs to have the ball more and Hornacek needs to figure out how to balance out the rotation.

5. Is there a trade in the future of this Suns team?

GB: It's probably way too early to consider, but I have to think it'll be a possibility if things don't improve. There's a huge logjam at the wing positions, which is only further exacerbated by playing three point guards. There's really no backup power forward outside of Tolliver, so that's a pretty big hole. I'd hate to see it happen, but it's not totally out of the realm of possibility that we see one of the three point guards get traded if things don't click eventually. I really hope that doesn't happen, and that this team finds a way to make things work smoothly.

GA: As a direct result of .500 level play? No. Any trade that emerges before the All-Star break will not be as a result of winning half of the team's games, but instead will arise out of prepared plans to trade a player or an opportunity arising spontaneously. I've said all along Green has a strong chance of being traded this season. The only guy who could potentially be traded because of starting out poorly is Anthony Tolliver, but this is more because his contract, which is only guaranteed for $400,000 next season, is a nice expiring that will be enticing to teams looking for potential salary cap relief. If he can't get things under control shooting wise and falls out of the rotation, he has a strong chance of being moved.

DK: I hate discussing trades when it's not trade season. Sure, trades happen any time. But nearly all of the Suns key rotation players just signed contracts in the off season making them unavailable for trades until January. Wait for January/February please.

JC: I sure hope so. I really don't think that Ryan McDonough is the type to panic and rush to judgment that he's failed in assembling this team... frittering off his assets in an attempt to cut his losses. He's looking long term. Any trade he executes will be one that involves the pantsing of a competing team's foolish general manager. Dude's dealing from a position of strength, not a position of weakness... because McMiracle. So yeah, I'll take me some trades.

SS: Yes.  However, I don't know who or what for.  Going into this season, the popular opinion was that Green would be traded before the deadline, and that Goodwin would be able to step in and contribute.  That hasn't happened.  If anything, Green has shown just how important he is to this team...at least for now.  I can't see the Suns trading him away just to get something for him before he becomes a free agent in the offseason.  However, I do think the Suns will make a move at some point before the trade deadline...I'm just not sure who they would look to move.

KO:I thought there was at the start of the season unless the Suns got off to an amazing start so I'll still say there is. Like Dave said though, we will have to wait.

DeMarcus Cousins: 'This was a terrible game for us'

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Michael Malone and his players share their thoughts on Tuesday's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans and their plan going into Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls.

The Sacramento Kings fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 106-100 Tuesday night at Sleep Train Arena. Following the game, head coach Michael Malone and the players shared their thoughts with the media on how a lackluster second half did them in and talked about preparing for the Chicago Bulls.

What Went Wrong

Malone: "In that third quarter, I had no idea what we were doing the whole quarter. It was random, one-on-one iso, pound the basketball, and that led to a lot of our turnovers. We had eight turnovers in the second half for 16 points, so I think the breakdowns were offensively, no execution, no ball movement, too many turnovers. And then defensively, Tyreke Evans scores 18 points in the second half. Eric Gordon gets going. We couldn't guard their guards one on one. Our defense starts at the point of the ball and we did a very poor job tonight."

Darren Collison: "Everything was going so well in the first half and then second half for us to come out like that kind of gave them life and then Tyreke [Evans] started getting it going and Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis as well, so we just got to put this past us...we were a little bit too stagnant, that's something we tried to stay away from all season long and we pretty much do a good job of moving the ball. We did in the first half and then in the third quarter we just kind of got too stagnant. The mismatch with Rudy [Gay], we kind of posted a little bit too much, not to say nothing wrong with that, but we can get some more movement into that post-up...Our spacing was a little bit off."

DeMarcus Cousins: "It started on defense. We just completely broke down. We gave this team life tonight. We had them down early and we had them where they were out of it. And we just gave them life. Let Ryan Anderson get going and we knew from the beginning, his ability to stretch the floor. So we just didn't play our scheme the way we were supposed to and we gave this team life."

Ben McLemore: "Second, third, fourth quarters I think we kind of lacked off on the defensive end. I felt like I could have done much better on my defense tonight. My defense wasn't there tonight."

Jason Thompson: "Tonight, we had stretches of how we've been playing defense all year that's made us be a positive, winning team, but we had more stretches where we didn't do that."

What Went Right

Malone: "At halftime we had 16 assists, only seven turnovers. The ball moved; we executed. We looked for each other."

McLemore: "We kept fighting and also, the first quarter we moved the ball. We had 16 assists. The ball was moving and we were getting easy buckets. Defense was great. We just got to get back to who we are on the defensive end."

Collison: "I thought the second unit picked up the first unit, that's probably the positives I could look at."

Thompson: "We didn't quit. We were pretty much controlling most of the game. I think there's times when we could have taken the lead even more. But we know the type of team that we can be."

Cousins: (Was asked if there were any positives to take out of this game): "No. We had 16 assists I believe in the first half. That's about the only thing. This was a terrible game for us."

What's Next: the Chicago Bulls

Malone: "We have to get back to defending. I told our guys, we have to commit to coming into practice tomorrow and get ready for Chicago and if we want to fool ourselves into thinking that we can pick our spots when we want to defend there will be a lot more losses like this. You look at our wins, every win we've had we played great defense for 48 minutes and really limited our opponent's field goals. For them to shoot as well as they did in that second half was unacceptable. That's going to be the same thing on Thursday night against a very good Chicago team. They went into L.A. last night and manhandled the Clippers. So we will have our hands full on Thursday night."

Thompson: "Different style. They're not a team that's going to try and run. So that's what we have to kind of do to them, but we have to protect the ball. They're a real stagnant half-court team, but we've got to be able to know what they're going to do X's -and O's-wise, get stops and try to run them a little bit more. They want to be a more slow-paced team."

Collison: (Asked how you prepare for a team like the Bulls): "You don't, it's going to be a long night on Thursday."

***

Some fans were upset about Malone waiting too long to put Collison back in the game, leaving Ray McCallum in during the fourth quarter as the Pelicans built up a lead. Here is what Malone said.

"I didn't think Darren had played very well in that third quarter. So I wanted somebody to go in there and run our team. Decision to play Ray in the first half was they have three guards that can break you down off the dribble, very good one-on-one team and I felt Ray's defensive ability would help us hopefully contain some of their guards."

Reassessing Expectations: How many games will the Kings win?

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The Kings' hot start makes us wonder just how good this team actually is.

The Sacramento Kings have started the season much better than pretty much any of us expected.  Even with Tuesday's disappointing loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, and even with the controversial loss to the Memphis Grizzlies that remains under protest, the Kings are an improbable 6-5.  This is despite a brutal schedule, which some feared could derail the season before it even began.

There are optimists before every season, but I think it's fair to say that the team is exceeding expectations thus far.  A lot of folks expected this to be a 30-something win team.  But how has this start changed expectations?  It seems a good time to review and reassess just how good we expect this team to be.

A lot remains unknown about this team.  Can the bench step up when the starters are resting?  Can Nik Stauskas find his groove?  Can anything stop DeMarcus Cousins*?  Will the Kings swing a trade?

*No, nothing can stop DeMarcus.

Despite these questions, chime in. What are you expecting from the Kings?  Vote, and discuss in the comments.

Poll
How many games will the Kings win this season?

  468 votes |Results

X's and O's - Pelicans Execute in Crunch Time

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Really excited to dive into the TBW's initial X's and O's feature. Look for similar pieces down the road to help explain future strategies, successful or not.

On Monday against Portland, the Pelicans attempted to take a knee in basketball. The lead ball handler would dribble out the first 12 seconds of the shot clock before initiating the set. The ball rarely exchanged hands and the offensive action, if you could call it that, consisted solely of simplistic high ball screens and isolation plays. Or for those who prefer, hero basketball. It was a terrible combination of scheme and execution which ground New Orleans attack to a painful halt.

Thus, it was understandable that Pelican fans were concerned last night a similar result was in the cards. The Sacramento King reserves had whittled a once double digit lead down to just four points, with DeMarcus Cousins on the bench. The Pelicans needed points and a few earlier displays of hero ball were simply not cutting it. With the score 92-87, New Orleans opted to run offense instead.

Horns Catch

Two things should jump out immediately. This is off a made basket (McCallum three pointer) and the entry pass from Jrue Holiday to Tyreke Evans on the elbow is received with 16 seconds on the shot clock. The Pelicans are not choosing to dribble out the clock here. Eric Gordon is going down to set a down screen for Anthony Davis. Players and the ball are moving.

Horns Screen

Anthony Davis sets a solid screen (this is sadly a rarity for AD) on Rudy Gay which frees up Tyreke Evans towards the basket. Omri Casspi (at the bottom of the screen) is defending Ryan Anderson on the weak side. Anderson is in motion from the corner toward the wing for a possible three.

At this point of the game, Anderson is 6-8 in the second half -- Ryno is dangerous and Casspi knows it.

Horns Alley

Boogie does his job in cutting off an easy drive to the rim for Tyreke Evans. Ray McCallum and Ben McLemore stick to Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon on the perimeter. Casspi strays as far away from Anderson as is prudent, without setting himself up to get burned by the Flamethrower.

Everyone is too late because all passes in the direction of the backboard can be caught and finished by Anthony Davis.

Horns Oop

The finish is just what you would expect.

New Orleans went back to this same exact set the very next possession. Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon switched positions and McLemore got caught trying to help Rudy Gay cut off Tyreke driving to the basket. Evans kicked it out and Gordon knocked down the open three. A five point lead ballooned to ten in the span of 60 seconds.

Although the Kings would go on to make one more run and cut the lead to four, the Pelicans held their ground. Evans converted on consecutive possessions -- a layup where no King stopped the ball and then on a difficult fall-away after getting the mismatch against Cousins on the perimeter.

Tack on four free throws and the Pelicans notched quite an improbable victory. One that was quite necessary for a team with real playoff aspirations after enduring a crushing loss just 24 hours earlier.

Kings vs. Bulls Preview: The East finally comes to town

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Your Sacramento Kings are on national tv tonight to take on a very tough Chicago Bulls team.  Sacramento is looking to go 2-1 on this short homestand before heading back out on the road and also trying to avoid dropping down to .500 for the first time since they were 1-1. This is also Sacramento's first game against an Eastern Conference opponent. Tonight's action tips off at 7:30 pm tonight on TNT and on KHTK 1140.

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Both teams are dealing with injuries although it's more severe for Chicago.  Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol are both definitively out for tonight's game.  Taj Gibson and Kirk Hinrich will likely get the start in their place.  For the Kings, Rudy Gay is once again listed as questionable because of his achilles tendinitis, but he was able to play against the Pelicans on Tuesday.  DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson are also dealing with small nagging injuries but are both expected to play.  The Bulls are still a dangerous team when shorthanded though, and are coming off a 16 point thrashing of the Clippers in Los Angeles without Gasol or Rose.

2. Chicago has typically been known as a defensive team under Coach Tom Thibodeau, but this year they've also gotten their offense together, with the 7th highest ranked offense in the league through 11 games.  Third year player Jimmy Butler has emerged as a rising star, averaging 21.3 points on 50.8% from the field and 37% from three to go along with 6.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals and .7 blocks, all while playing an obscene 40.3 minutes per game.  He'll be a tough matchup for Ben McLemore, but slowing him down should slow down Chicago's offense.

3. The Bulls have a habit of riding their starters for long periods of time, as indicated by Butler's minutes.  That means that if Sacramento's rotation stays the same, we'll see stretches where the Bulls best players are going against Sacramento's bench.  The Bulls also feature not just one, but two Ryan Anderson type players off the bench in Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic that like to pop out and shoot threes.  Neither player is as polished as Anderson of course, but the Kings can't forget about them like they were forgetting Anderson the other night.  Anderson's shooting changed the momentum of that game.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

DeMarcus Cousins vs. Joakim Noah

Cousins and Noah are two of the best Centers in the league, so this is going to be a battle.  Cousins is able to bully most opponents, but Noah is a crafty defender who also possesses the size, strength and quickness to guard Cousins by himself.  Noah's not a slouch on the other side of the court either, where he possesses some of the best (if not the best) passing skills for a big man in the entire league, averaging 4.6 assists a game.  Noah also plays very physical, which has tended to frustrate Cousins in the past.  Cousins will have to stay calm and collected and if he can get the better of this matchup, the Kings will have a good chance to win.  Without Cousins (and possibly Gay due to injury) at his best, this will be a tough, tough game for Sacramento.

PREGAME LIMERICK

Tonight we're honoring our greats,
from a team that nobody hates.
To Bibby and Webb,
May they never ebb!
and hopefully a victory awaits.

PREDICTION

Kings 108, Bulls 88 afterJoakim Noah recreates his Half Baked scene again.

Remembering Chris Webber and Mike Bibby

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While it is never argued that Chris Webber and Vlade Divac were the MVP's of the Kings' "Glory Years", Chris Webber along with his other partner, Mike Bibby should not be overlooked.

The year was 2001. After an impressive 3-year-run, the Sacramento Kings parted ways with Jason Williams in a trade that sent him to the newly relocated Memphis Grizzlies for another third year guard named Mike Bibby. While the trade was not immediately popular, Mike Bibby quickly became a fan favorite in his own right, and the better part of the Kings' glory years was born. What made the Kings go to the next level after the trade? Was Mike Bibby the reason, or just along for a ride that was moving forward anyway? What was it that made Chris Webber and Mike Bibby such a highly lauded duo? Finally, where do they rank among all-time Kings duos?

If Twitter was around in 2001, I would have loved to see the reaction to the Jason Williams-Mike Bibby deal. While Mike Bibby was the better all-around basketball player, few players in NBA history, let alone Kings history, have come with the excitement level that Jason Williams came with. I, like every other 12-year-old Kings fan on the planet, sported the #55 jersey and the buzzed, not quite bald, haircut that Jason Williams sported his 2nd and 3rd seasons in the league. We had fallen in love with his flashy dribbling and passing, his fearless attitude, and his fast paced (sometimes reckless) play.  Mike Bibby was more of an all-around player. Jason Williams was the better point guard, but Mike Bibby was the better basketball player. He was going to need to do something special to make people accept him, and he did just that.

Chris Webber had great chemistry with Jason Williams. Despite Jason Williams sometimes unexpected passes, Webber, along with the other Kings, learned to stay on their toes and often finish these passes with highlight-reel dunks and layups. With Mike Bibby, they were getting a player with a little more of a scorer's mentality, though he could also make the plays when he needed. Gone was the flash, in was a more balanced game. In my opinion, this was the perfect match for the style that the Kings became known for.

The ability to think on their toes carried over to the next group, and brought an approach where anyone on the floor may initiate play. While Bibby wouldn't ever be at the top of the league in assists, there were times where the Kings would have 3 guys hovering around 5 assists a game, including our Power Forward and Center. Instead of one guy keeping the other team on edge, we had five. While this style is more common now, it was not very common back then. We still got the highlight plays, and we still were the talk of the league, but it was more due to our overall game rather than Jason Williams initiating a lot of it.

Note: This is in no way an indictment of anything Jason Williams did. He was huge for our growth. Just saying the more balanced approach was the next step. We may have had just as much success with Jason Williams.

If Vlade Divac was Webber's co-MVP, Mike Bibby was the Robin to his Batman. Vlade had the mentality and the leadership to help lead the team from the floor and the bench, but Bibby was the main beneficiary of playing with Chris Webber, along with Peja. Bibby was the ideal point guard for this situation, and it really was because he had the ability to play more like a shooting guard when needed. While Peja Stojakovc was our greatest talent outside of Webber, Bibby's game was more joint at the hip with Webber's game.

In the end, it is hard to focus on just two guys from a team that had so many pieces that were dependent on each other, but to me when I think of the top duo on those teams, it is Chris Webber and Mike Bibby. Many of my favorite memories, from the game winner in game 5, to appearances on Jay Leno, to countless other memories from my teenage years, these two had such great chemistry, that it is hard to separate the two from their time together here in Sacramento. If you ask me, they are the two greatest players at their positions in Sacramento Kings history. If Webber had a reputation for lacking clutch prowess (a reputation that frankly was mostly unfounded), Bibby had a knack for always arriving when it mattered. In my opinion, Bibby is the greatest clutch performer I have seen as a Kings fan. Brad Miller is the only other player I may put in the discussion. While other talents came and went, and other duos formed and disbanded, I don't know if any of them had the same chemistry that these two did.

Both of these guys moved on and ended their careers on less than stellar notes, but we need to appreciate what we had. With Webber, we took a young punk that didn't want to be here, and made him one of the biggest names in the NBA. With Mike Bibby, we took an unpopular trade, and turned it into one of the best moves we have made. Where some would criticize Webber for some on and off the court issues, what he did here was special. While Bibby may not be remembered in the same light as Webber, Divac, Peja, or even J-Will at this point, he was still a huge piece of the "Glory Years", and deserves to be recognized for it.

What about you guys? What do you think of when you think of these two? Favorite memories?


Bulls vs. Kings final score: Chicago loses big again in Sacramento

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Jimmy Butler had another excellent game, but the Bulls were trounced in Sacramento for the third straight year.

Sleep Train Arena has been a house of horrors for the Bulls the last few seasons, and it was no different this year. Chicago hung around against Sacramento despite playing poorly without Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol, but they just didn't have enough in a 103-88 loss.

The Kings' trio of DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Darren Collison were simply too much for the Bulls, who dropped their first road game of the season. Cousins really put his imprint on the game in the second half, and he finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists. Gay added 20 points on 11 shots, while Collison had 17 points and 12 assists.

There weren't too many positives for the Bulls, but Jimmy Butler was absolutely superb again. Butler scored a game-high 23 points on 11-of-18 shooting, and he did much of his damage off the dribble. He used both hands to get to the rim at will, and he continues to finish at the basket at an extremely high level. (8-of-9 in the restricted area) He probably should have scored even more, but he surprisingly didn't get many calls going to the bucket. Still, this offensive improvement is incredible and looks more and more legit with each passing day.

Joakim Noah was also really active, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Noah shot just 5-of-13 and missed a few easy bunnies, but his energy was one of the only things the Bulls had going for them in the second half.

The Bulls shot just 42.9 percent overall and 5-of-19 from three, which is pretty shocking given how well they played in the first quarter. Chicago scored 29 points in the opening quarter, with six players scoring at least four points. The Bulls shot 5-of-11 from deep in the first quarter, meaning they didn't make a single three the rest of the game. That's not a recipe for success.

The Bulls had a seven-point lead after the first quarter, but their reserve heavy unit struggled once again in the first half, and it was Derrick Williams' turn to be the sub to go off against Chicago. Williams entered the game with 11 points all season, but he scored 10 points in an aggressive first half. Williams sparked the Kings back into the game, and Gay carried the torch into the half, scoring 10 points in the quarter. Sacramento shot 63.2 percent from the field in the second quarter to take a five-point lead at halftime.

Not helping matters was some foul trouble for the Bulls' bigs. Nikola Mirotic knocked down a couple of jumpers and even took a heat check three (which I really don't mind), but he had issues guarding Williams on the other end. Mirotic picked up four fouls in eight first-half minutes, and after Taj Gibson went to the bench with three fouls, we got a Cameron Bairstow sighting. Bairstow was naturally a bit lost out there, which was one of the reasons the Kings got so many easy looks in the second quarter.

That foul trouble continued into the second half when Noah picked up three cheapies almost consecutively, with the third a pretty questionable call 90 feet away from the basket that was sold well by a Cousins flop. Noah almost pulled a repeat of his meltdown last year in Sacramento, but he was only called for a technical before heading to the bench with five fouls. (while likely letting loose a few more expletives)

Meanwhile, the Bulls' offense couldn't get much going outside of Butler layups. The Kings' hot shooting continued, and they went up by as many as 16 points before a brief Aaron Brooks spurt kept the game within reach. Cousins really flexed his muscles in the third quarter, putting up 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. You could also say he was getting a pretty beneficial whistle, and I won't argue with that one bit. I'm certainly not going to blame this game on the refs because the Bulls played poorly overall, but they didn't help.

With this being the first of a back-to-back, I was kind of hoping Tom Thibodeau would let the reserves play most of the fourth quarter and let them see if they could get back into the game. That was a silly notion of course, as Thibs mostly went with the starters in an ill-fated comeback attempt. Noah finished with 37 minutes, and after 36 minutes in the last game, that minutes restriction may be a thing of the past. Butler "only" played 37 minutes, but it should be noted that he appeared to re-aggravate his shoulder/thumb injury on an alley-oop attempt early in the second half. Not that it really affected his play at all.

Kirk Hinrich's actual play on the court wasn't noteworthy at all and was mostly bad, but he's apparently hurt:

Given the fact that Rose is also hurting, it's not a good thing if Hinrich goes back to the well.

In the end, I'm not really disappointed with this loss. The Bulls were missing two of their best players and were on the road in a place where they've struggled recently. Plus, the Kings winning gives Chicago a better chance at getting that pick from the Luol Deng trade. So there's that.

Next up is the Trail Blazers on Friday night. Who knows if Rose will play (looking like a no?), but it's almost a year to the day since he tore his meniscus on the Moda Center court last season. If he does suit up, hopefully he's not thinking about it too much and just plays his game.

Kings 103, Bulls 88: Sacramento holds off Chicago in well-rounded effort

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Six Kings hit double figures led by DeMarcus Cousins' 22 point, 14 rebound effort as Sacramento holds off the streaking Bulls in a nationally televised performance.

The Chicago Bulls came into Sleep Train Arena as the only undefeated road team left in the NBA, and with a national audience watching the Sacramento Kings protected their home court.

DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points along with 14 rebounds and four assists, while Darren Collison had 17 points and 12 assists in the Kings 103-88 victory. Rudy Gay added 20 points and seven rebounds on 7-11 shooting as six Kings topped the ten point mark.

Jimmy Butler led the Bulls in the loss with 23 points and eight rebounds, and Joakim Noah added 10 points, 11 rebounds and six assists but spent most of the second half in serious foul trouble.

Cousins didn't score early, but again came up big late in the contest, scoring 16 of his 22 points in the second half. Chicago hung in the game deep into the closing minutes, but clutch shots from Cousins and Gay kept the Kings from another fourth quarter implosion. The two combined for 11 of the Kings last 15 points.

The Kings offense kept the ball moving most of the night, finishing with 26 assists on 38 made field goals. Head Coach Michael Malone was obviously more pleased with his offense, as the Kings shot 51.4% from the floor against a Bulls team that has held opponents to a 42.9% clip. Sacramento also forced the issue at the line, making 23 of 27 free throws while Chicago made 11 of 16.

Omri Casppi continued to provide a consistent bench spark, finishing with 14 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field in just 17 minutes. Derrick Williams had his first solid performance of the year, scoring 10 points and providing a huge lift in a second quarter run.

Aside from Butler's 23 point performance, the Kings kept the Bulls offense in check as Chicago finished the game shooting 42.9%. The Bulls got off to a blistering start in the first quarter; Chicago sank five three pointers on route to 29 points in the period, but Sacramento's perimeter defense locked down after that and didn't allow another three the rest of the contest.

Noah nearly repeated his meltdown from last seasonafter picking up his fifth foul in the third quarter on a blatant flop by Cousins, Noah threw a 6 foot 11 inches sized tantrum and was called for a technical foul. It wasn't the best game for Noah, who struggled to defend Cousins in the second half, but he managed to avoid fouling out and did help the Bulls offense stay within striking distance.

The Bulls were without two starters as both Derrick Rose (hamstring) and Pau Gasol (calf strain) sat out due to injuries. While the loss of two starters would hurt any team, especially two of Rose and Gasol's quality, the Bulls have one of the deepest benches in the association. Kirk Hinrich (nine points, seven assists on 3-11 shooting) and Taj Gibson (12 points, eight rebounds) filled in admirably, but Chicago obviously missed Rose and Gasol's offensive firepower.

The Kings finish off the three game homestand with a 2-1 record, and now head off for a four game road-trip with stops in Minnesota, New Orleans, Houston and San Antionio.

For the opponent's perspective, visit Blog a Bull.

Additional notes from the game:

  • The Bulls went after Cousins early and often, but Cousins kept his cool. Hinrich tried to get under his skin in the first quarter and tied him up on a rebound, but Cousins pulled away from the situation and it was Hinrich who was whistled for the technical foul.
  • Speaking of whistles, it was a game of many, with a combined 47 fouls called.
  • Chicago was the first Eastern Conference opponent for the Kings this season, and Sacramento won't face another until December 2ndwhen they host the Toronto Raptors .
  • Williams' big performance should have been expected as the contest was a nationally televised game. While no statistical site records individual stats in nationally televised games, Williams always seems to step it up in spotlight games as well as in the bigger arenas.
  • It won't show up in the box score, but Jason Thompson (three points, four assists) had another big game for Sacramento. He had another huge defensive performance and helped anchor the defense when Cousins sat with foul trouble.
  • Rookie Nik Stauskas didn't play for the first time all season. The Bulls played bigger lineups and the stronger Jimmy Butler would have been a nightmare matchup for Stauskas, but it was still surprising to see Nik not get playing time. In the fourth quarter, Malone went with Ramon Sessions alongside Collison.
  • The first of six Legends Nights for the Kings featured three in the building-Mike Bibby, Chris Webber(who called the game on TNT) and Brad Miller were all in attendance.

    NBA scores 2014: Lob City is back and 3 other things we learned

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    With just two games on the schedule, the Western Conference registered a couple convincing wins against the East.

    Out of context, the Los Angeles Clippers started the season fine. They won six of their first 10 games and had the ninth-best offensive rating as they headed into Thursday night; many teams would kill for that.

    But for a team with championship aspirations in a brutal Western Conference, the Clippers hadn't been good enough. Last year's no. 1 offense  had been uncharacteristically grounded through the first 10 games of this season compared to their own and league-wide expectations. Coming into Thursday, the Clippers were No. 9 in the NBA with a 106 offensive rating. Their highlight plays weren't coming nearly as frequently as Lob City is accustom to -- Los Angeles is No. 18 in fast break points and No. 20 with points off turnovers after finishing no. 2 and no. 1 respectively last year, per the TNT broadcast.

    On Thursday, though, Lob City showed up in full force in a 110-93 win against the Heat. The ball movement was plentiful and the Clippers were cognizant of when a good shoot could turn into a great one.

    With Chris Paul at the helm, this is the stuff we saw nightly last year. The Heat failed all night to slow down the Clippers' pick-and-roll, either conceding room to the roll man or falling to far off tertiary options.

    Blake Griffin showed just how many things he can do on the basketball court, scoring 26 points on 12-of-18 shooting while throwing in seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. On one fast break, Griffin beat his man down the court, got the ball deep in the paint and quickly scored the ball with a post move. A few plays later, he took the outlet pass and led the fast break as the point forward.

    It may not have been the start to this season Clippers expected, but they're going to be fine.

    3 other things we learned

    Boogie leads the Kings to an impressive win against the Bulls.DeMarcus Cousins finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, his ninth double-double already this season, and Rudy Gay 20 points on 11 shots as the Kings pulled past Chicago and moved to 7-5. But it wasn't just those two, as role players all around Sacramento stepped up. Omri Casspi hit all five shots he attempted, Derrick Williams scored 10 points, nearly doubling his season total coming into the game (11), and Ben McLemore hit three 3-pointers in four attempts.

    Chicago is now 3-3 after a 5-1 start. The Bulls were missing Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol against the Kings, and despite Jimmy Butler's best efforts (23 points on 11-of-18 shooting), just didn't have enough offense to stick with Sacramento down the stretch in the fourth quarter. Chicago's biggest problem this year will be injuries -- Derrick Rose has still only five of 12 games this year while Gasol and Joakim Noah each will have their own various ailments through the season. In the Eastern Conference, they'll be okay with those trio missing games sporadically throughout the season, but if they can't get all three healthy during the playoffs, Chicago won't survive long.

    There were no new developments in the DeMarcus Cousins - Mike Dunleavy beef. This was the biggest disappointment of the night. I know what you're thinking, and yes, those two have a beef. The game was physical, the Bulls got a couple of technical fouls and it certainly seemed like there were chances for an elbow here or there, but alas, we'll have to wait until Feb. 10 for this rivalry to continue in Chicago.

    Play of the Night

    When you leave DeAndre Jordan alone in the paint on defense, bad things are going to happen.

    5 fun things

    Of course Brad Miller and Joakim Noah are friends. Of course they have a special high five.

    But when you're close friends with someone, they sometimes let you see a different side of them up close and in person.

    The Kings didn't dry clean Chris Webber's jersey before retiring it.

    NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal is definitely not going into the face cookie game hall of fame.

    Al Jeffersontell us why NBA Live hurt you.

    Final scores

    Clippers 110, Heat 93 (Clips Nation recapHot Hot Hoops recap)

    Kings 103, Bulls 88 (Sactown Royalty recapBlog A Bull recap)

    NBA Fan Night: Pelican Oppression

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    You know what would be a really good idea? Shut the best player in your league out of national TV coverage because "market size".

    Market size is a thing NBA franchises, players, and fans must grapple with every offseason. NBA players are constantly hounded about their ability to appeal across the country by placing themselves in a bigger market. Big market teams with championship pedigree like the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers come in ready to steal away star players from "lesser" markets. Players simply make more money in these locales the story goes.

    The premise is ridiculous. Two of the NFL's most marketable players play in Green Bay, Wisconsin (68th largest market) and New Orleans, Louisiana (51st). The last two NBA MVPs call Cleveland, Ohio (19th) and Oklahoma City (44th) home. True superstars will get paid where ever they suit up. Michele Roberts, National Basketball Players' Association executive director, laid out this in the starkest terms.

    "Why don't we have the owners play half the games?" Roberts said, speaking in her Harlem office to ESPN The Magazine. "There would be no money if not for the players.

    "Let's call it what it is. There. Would. Be. No. Money," she added, pausing for emphasis. "Thirty more owners can come in, and nothing will change. These guys [the players] go? The game will change. So let's stop pretending."

    I will add that if you take away the top 30 players in the league the money would drop off significantly. Put those players in Eurobasket or China and watch those leagues soar as the English Premier League does now. The NBA is driven by star players. Those top players changing teams create ripple effects throughout the league.

    Crescent City Connection

    Fans in New Orleans know all to well about the arrival and departure of a superstar. In 2006 Drew Brees picked NOLA over Miami to reboot his career after a torn labrum (and the presence of Philip Rivers) forced him out of San Diego. All Brees has done in the nine seasons since is win 90 games and one Super Bowl while setting fire to NFL passing records. Despite playing in a small market, you can see Brees in commercials hawking Wrangler Jeans, Verizon, Pepsi, and NyQuil.

    In 2011 after a lengthy lockout Chris Paul told the then-New Orleans Hornets that he would not be re-signing with the team and provided a list of potential trade destinations. His top picks? The New York Knicks (#1 market size) and Los Angeles Lakers (#2). While a trade to New York was impossible (since Dell Demps wanted, you know, assets in exchange) and a trade to the Lakers was nixed by David Stern, Paul eventually got his wish and was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Never mind that the Hornets had made the playoffs in three of the last four seasons while the Clippers had not even sniffed the postseason. Market. Size.

    Marketing the Brow

    The story of these two different superstars leads us to the present day. On Tuesday, thanks in part to an upswell in blogger support the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings won Fan Night, turning their November 18th tilt into a "national" television broadcast. Next Tuesday, November 25th, the Kings will return the favor visiting the Crescent City in the middle of a four game road trip of their own. Both teams will come into the game fresh; they both play their previous game on Saturday, the 22nd. Back-to-back Fan Night victories in store for this budding big man rivalry?

    Umm. Where is my option to vote Brow-Boogie? #SACvsNOP? Here is a look at the Fan Night voting page after voting concluded.

    That's right folks. Why watch Brow-Boogie II when you can watch the Golden State Warriors visit the Miami Heat. Even if you wanted to see Brow-Boogie II, you do not have the option to vote for it. I am sure seeing these two teams on National TV is really rare...

    Oh wait. No.

    See, the Golden State Warriors will be on National TV (actual National TV - ESPN, TNT, and ABC) 19 times this year. The Miami Heat do one better with 20, trailing only the Clippers, Bulls, Thunder, and Cavs. SB Nation has the full run down of National TV appearances here.

    The New Orleans Pelicans (featuring possible alienAnthony Davis) and Sacramento Kings (Boogiezilla is now a thing) are on National Television just six times. COMBINED. Given this dearth of exposure, would the "forces that be" give the fans throughout the country a chance to see the two best young big men on the planet?

    Part two came once the Kentucky game turned into a blowout. It was time for Kings-Pelicans. That’s when I watched DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis going to war with each other, trading ridiculous finishes at the rim, and battling to the bitter end, in a game between two teams that have surprised the entire league, almost entirely because of their superstar big men. It was the most fun I’ve had watching a game maybe all year. I can’t wait to see Boogie-Brow showdowns for the next decade.

    Andrew Sharp - Grantland

    I hope you purchased NBA League Pass Mr. Sharp. That's the only way you'll see Brow-Boogie II.

    Poster Child

    Maybe that is the entire point. Sharp did write before the beginning of the season that Davis is the "Human League Pass Advertisement". The NBA cannot go on giving away the next golden child before it is too soon. Those League Pass subscriptions run $199 a pop to watch on your television. The 76ers (currently 0-11) sure aren't going to move product.

    Still, this move seems counterproductive. It was only 18 months ago that David Stern and the NBA Board of Governors were rejecting a bid to move the Kings to Seattle. Less than four years ago the league took the drastic step of purchasing the New Orleans Hornets from owner George Shinn. Both cities have poured millions of tax dollars into keeping their teams. $50 Million in renovations to the Smoothie King Center. $258 Million to build a new arena in Sacramento.

    Wouldn't the more prudent move be to support these franchises, once on a precipice of relocation? Not to "gift" a "national" broadcast to them - but at least provide the possibility of such exposure? Instead, these contenders in the rough and tumble Western Conference will battle in obscurity and the Twitter-World of #LeaguePassAlert. Hopes for increased publicity (and the resulting merchandise sales) dashed before conception.

    The NFL's success is due in part to the parity the league enjoys. No one ever (seriously) rumored that Peyton Manning needed to leave Indianapolis for a bigger market to win. In the NBA, superstars are constantly being rumored to go to bigger markets. It appears the league would rather "win" with the exposure for two weeks in July (and the constant stream of poorly sourced rumor mongering for 50 weeks a year) than have fans in most small markets believe their franchise (and with all those tax dollars invested, make no mistake it is their franchise too) can compete from November to April.

    Or hey, maybe I'm just a fan in one of those small markets with a long enough memory to know how this story can end.

    Preview: Denver Nuggets try to give Pelicans the bird

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    The up-and-coming New Orleans Pelicans migrate in to the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets hope to extend their winning streak to a trifecta.

    Game 12: 2014-15 NBA Season
    @

    (6-4, 2-3 away)
    Series 0-0
    (4-7, 2-3 home)
    November 21st, 2014
    Pepsi Center - Denver, CO
    7:00 PM MT
    Altitude / 950 AM

    Jrue Holiday
    PGTy Lawson
    Eric Gordon
    SGArron Afflalo
    Tyreke Evans
    SFWilson Chandler
    Anthony Davis
    PFKenneth Faried
    Omer Asik
    CTimofey Mozgov
    Notes
    The Bird Writes
    BlogsLook up, you're already here
    Omer Asik is listed as day-to-day, but has missed the past two games with low back pain.InjuriesRandy Foye, J.J. Hickson, Nate Robinson, and Danilo Gallinari are all listed as day-to-day, but have played of late as listed.
    New Orleans has dropped five in a row at the Pepsi Center and eight of their last ten. A trend the Nuggets would like to extend.
    Etc...If the Nuggets hadn't had such a brutal second quarter in New York, they very well could be sitting on a four game winning streak, and this game could be for .500. If.

    A couple of similar and positive arcs collide tonight at the Pepsi Center when the New Orleans Pelicans come to town to face your Denver Nuggets. Each team has won three of their last four games, and was one rough quarter from four wins in a row. The Pelicans had a 34-13 meltdown in the fourth quarter at the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night, taking a 12 point advantage to a nine point loss. They stood back up the next night against a decent Sacramento Kings team, and walked out of Sacto with a 106-100 victory. Denver's meltdown came against the Knicks, as well-covered on these pages.

    Denver's wins admittedly came against competition that's been struggling themselves, but they've shown a possible righting of the ship in their play on both ends of the floor of late. The Pelicans will prove a good test in that regard, as they've played well against some decent teams on this road swing. New Orleans will be looking to start strong as this kicks off a second back-to-back on their four game trip. What needs to happen for Denver to win this game? Three possibilities:

    1. Eye to eye - Stay at Brow Level

    Here's the quick math: (A) Anthony Davis narrowly outdueled (B) DeMarcus Cousins the other night in Sacramento. (B) DeMarcus Cousins has abused the (C) Nuggets front court twice in this young season. If (A) is greater than (B), and (B) is greater than (C), and a train leaves Chicago at 8:40 am, then (C) had better find a way to cover its A. Every Nuggets big man who plays on Davis tonight should be doing their damnedest to battle him to a draw. This will be less simple than doubling him, because...

    2. Wake up the bench

    The bottom line? That starting five above for New Orleans is no joke. Here's hoping that the recent emergence of Ty Lawson, Arron Afflalo, and the starters means positive +/- against a very solid starting New Orleans squad. The recently-struggling Nuggets bench will need to find a way to gain some traction against Ryan Anderson and the other Pellies second teamers to help the Nuggets achieve some distance, if available.

    3. Balance out the paint

    New Orleans is leading the league in points in the paint this year, at nearly 50 a game. That sort of game was recently the Nuggets turf, and though they may not want to outduel the Pelicans at their own game, they need to remember it well enough to combat it. Denver's recent play has seen a tendency to move the bigs out of Ty's way a little more. Often, they'll kick a big out of the lanes, taking him lower into the paint or along the baseline. This could neutralize those clogged lanes the Pelicans like to practice for Ty and Co... Assuming that Denver's big drags one of New Orleans' bigs out of the paint as well.

    What about you? What do you think gets the Nuggets out victorious tonight, fellow Stiffs? Another loss would be for the birds.

    Poll
    Nuggets vs. Pelicans: I'm most worried about:

      112 votes |Results

    Omri Casspi is playing the best basketball of his career

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    When the Kings signed Omri Casspi this summer, reaction was decidedly mixed among Kings fans.  Casspi started off his career here in Sacramento and did well for a time, but eventually he fell out of favor and was traded to Cleveland for J.J. Hickson.  Now returning to the Kings after a few years elsewhere, Casspi was now a veteran, a player who had learned to fill a role and might be able to contribute a few minutes here and there off the bench.  There were no big expectations for him, much like there weren't for the Kings themselves.

    So far this season however, Casspi is making a case for himself as Sacramento's most valuable bench player.  He quickly supplanted Derrick Williams in the rotation thanks to his effort and hustle in the preseason and his role continues to increase as he brings in more production every game.  Yesterday against a stingy Chicago Bulls defense, he dropped in 14 points on a perfect 5 for 5 from the field and 4 of 4 from the line.  The fact of the matter is that Omri Casspi is playing the best basketball of his career, and he's doing so by playing a different brand of basketball than we've seen from him in the past.

    When Casspi came into the league, he largely relied on spot-up shots and running ahead on fast breaks.  In his last four years in the league, he took 43.7% of his total shots from beyond the three point arc despite shooting just 34.6% there.  This year, Casspi has only attempted 8 total three pointers, or just 14.8% of his total attempts, a huge drop-off.  Why is that?  Because Casspi is finding great success by attacking the rim, both with and without the ball.

    The above shot chart, courtesy of NBA.com, shows just how effective Omri Casspi has been near the basket this season.  He's been even better right at the rim, where he's shooting 79.2% from 0-3 feet per basketball-reference.com.  Casspi hasn't had many issues in finishing despite tough coverage either; According to NBA.com, Casspi is shooting 58.8% when a defender is within 0-2 feet (which has happened 34.7% of time) and 50% when a defender is within 2-4 feet (36.7% of the time).  That means most of his scoring is coming despite tight coverage, which also leads to a big increase in free throw attempts.  Casspi has a career FTA per 36 minutes of just 3.0 a game, and this year that number has jumped all the way to 6.4, or more than double.  He's also hitting his free throws at a way higher percentage than any other time in his career (86.1% compared to a career percentage of 67.9%).  Casspi's True Shooting % (which factors 2P%, 3P% and FT%) is a ridiculously efficient .659, way higher than his career average of .521.

    Omri is also providing a change of pace off the bench.  He has the highest offensive rating on the team, and part of it is because when he's on the floor he forces the Kings to run faster and take advantage of fast break opportunities.  He's improved his ballhandling skills to the point that when he grabs a rebound, he's off to the races before the defense is set and that sets up easy opportunities for himself and for his teammates.

    This is not the same Omri Casspi, and these aren't the same Sacramento Kings.  Both are much better and hopefully just getting started.

    Kings vs. Timberwolves Preview: Trap game or cake walk?

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    After wrapping up a 2-1 homestand with a victory over the Chicago Bulls, the Kings are back on the road again for a four game trip starting today in Minnesota.  The Timberwolves are ravaged by injuries and thanks to this summer's Kevin Love trade are more full of potential than actual production.  This is a rare early season game for Sacramento that they should be expected to win, but they can't fall into the trap of playing down to their opponent.  Tonight's action tips off at 5:00 pm tonight on Comcast SportsNet California and on KHTK 1140.

    3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

    1. As I mentioned above, the Wolves have been hit really hard by injuries.  Ricky Rubio is out indefinitely with an ankle injury and Minnesota just learned on Friday that Kevin Martin fractured his wrist in their win over the Knicks and also will be out for a while.  They're also without two other starters in Thaddeus Young (who is on indefinite leave from the team after the passing of his mother) and Nikola Pekovic (foot issues).  In their absence the Wolves are relying heavily on their young players.  The Kings have a rare experience advantage and they need to use it.

    2. Sacramento matches up incredibly well against the Wolves, especially with their main guys missing.  The Wolves (like the Kings), don't shoot or make many three pointers, ranking among the league's worst in that category.  They're also a very poor rebounding team and allow the 2nd most rebounds to opponents.  Minnesota's also 29th in total assists and 30th in blocks.  They're ranked 28th in defensive rating and 29th in opponent points per game and allowing a league worst 50.5% from the field.  There's absolutely no reason for Sacramento lose this game.

    3. The Kings have had to face some of the NBA's best teams to start this year, and this probably represents the first truly bad team they've played (Denver has finally found its stride lately).  Sacramento has so many advantages that a loss here would be easily the worst of the season.  The Wolves have a lot of young talent, but I don't see how anyone can even stop Rudy Gay, let alone DeMarcus Cousins.  Sacramento has to come out and set the tone early, never letting this young, excitable team get a glimmer of hope.

    MATCHUP OF THE GAME

    DeMarcus Cousins vs. Gorgui Dieng

    Dieng is Minnesota's only real big man with Pekovic being out, and while he's got some promise, he's not nearly strong enough to handle DeMarcus Cousins by himself.  The Wolves will likely be throwing double and possibly triple teams at Cousins all night, so it will be up to the rest of Cousins' teammates to move without the ball and get open.  If Cousins can get Dieng into foul trouble, the Wolves will be in even more trouble than they already are, losing the only real vestige of rim defense they do have, as well as their leading rebounder.

    PREGAME LIMERICK

    For once we have an easy game,
    a loss would be such a shame.
    Let's do this right,
    not let the Wolves bite,
    and continue to pursue acclaim.

    PREDICTION

    Kings 124, Timberwolves 91 because this is a season full of surprises and for once we take care of business rather than play down.


    Selflessness and communication helping Kings to hot start

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    The Kings' early success may stem from a new vibe and changing culture in the locker room.

    The small market team with the black and purple trim has been anything but a Cinderella story over the last seven years. No effective systems on offense or defense and a rotating door of coaches and players, combined with relocation threat after relocation threat, left the Kings locker room in shambles and with a record of 182-376 between 2007 and 2013.

    But this year's Kings team is off to a 7-5 start and national media continues to take notice, mentioning DeMarcus Cousins as a potential MVP candidate and going to great lengths to explain the unique way in which they win. The team's defense, a focus on attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line and sharing the ball all play a part. But the success of this new-look Kings squad may just begin in the locker room where a new culture and mentality has formed.

    Two of the longest-tenured Kings, DeMarcus Cousins and Jason Thompson, believe it is the result of a new outlook: unselfishness.

    "Just a different mindset. We're not just worrying about who is scoring, this, that and the third. We're a team. We started that since training camp," Thompson said.

    Thompson isn't putting up numbers that are off the charts, but he is playing admirable defense and fitting in to the team's system well. His frontcourt teammate, DeMarcus Cousins is putting up incredible numbers - averaging 22.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. But the numbers aren't what Boogie is focused on.

    "Not worried about individual stats. A lot of selfishness is gone, I could even say it with myself. I'm not worried about if I'm touching the ball or not," Cousins said. "So it's a lot more team-oriented and at the end of the day, it's about winning a game, so that's the biggest thing that's changed in this locker room."

    Head coach Michael Malone says the leadership of Cousins, Rudy Gay, Darren Collison and Reggie Evans has played a big factor, but also mentioned the way in which the team is communicating.

    "Guys are really trusting in each other, they're communicating with each other, they're holding each other accountable and it's great to see," Malone said.

    Collison echoed this.

    "I really think it's just practice. Our work ethic, the fact that we get out there defensively. We're always getting after each other. We're fighting, we're arguing, we're trying to win every single game against each other, so it starts in practice too," Collison said. "We're trying to make a commitment on the defensive end and I think that's where it starts. We consider ourselves as one of the top defensive teams in the NBA and that's our goal, so I think that's what's helping us out right now."

    Additions such as Collison and Ryan Hollins to the Kings locker room has helped the team's younger players get more comfortable as well. Case in point: second-year man Ben McLemore, who has had a more productive, and consistent season compared to last.

    "A lot of vets, a lot of experience in here, Darren Collison, Ryan Hollins, guys that have seen the playoffs and know the will to win and they are bringing a lot good will in," McLemore said. "With this whole locker room we all want to win. We want to get to the playoffs. From DeMarcus, Rudy, me, JT, everybody, Reggie [Evans ]...We have that mindset that if we play as a team, play together, play hard...play together man, I think this is the year for us."

    Malone and several players brought up the preseason trip to China as a possible reason for the cohesiveness in the locker room. The team spent a week in the China where they took on the Brooklyn Nets twice.

    "We did everything together, I think the fact that we were over there and ate together, practiced together, walked around together and did everything together kind of helped us," Gay said.

    Malone has admitted the time changes that came with the China trip took its toll, but did say that it was a positive outing for the team overall.

    "Maybe that trip to China was worth the thousands of miles we put on because this team has come together," Malone said.

    While the Kings did have a three-game losing streak on their recent road trip, they are a lot better at responding to losses these days - they came out strong at home after the losing streak to defeat the San Antonio Spurs and then beat the Chicago Bulls handily on national TV after a tough loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

    Rebounding is another reason the Kings are where they are - as a team, they currently rank third in the NBA in rebounding. One of those rebounders is Thompson, who has been with the Kings since 2008 and has never reached the playoffs. He, like his teammates, has high hopes for the rest of the season.

    "We don't want this to be just a fluke man, we want it to be consistent," Thompson said.

    The Kings are playing consistently tough basketball, but like most rising teams, they are still learning how to win and handle success. A good foundation in the locker room is always a good start.

    Kings at Timberwolves Game Preview

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    The Wolves host the Kings at Target Center tonight.

    Kings at Wolves
    7:00 pm CST
    FS North

    The Sacramento Kings come to town tonight sporting a 7-5 record on the young season. The Kings, yet another team that once inhabited the lower reaches of the Western Conference along with the Wolves, have the look of a team that is moving up, with recent wins over the Spurs and the Bulls.

    They are led by center DeMarcus Cousins, yet another player the Wolves could have drafted. Cousins has been dominating this season, averaging 22 and 12 in 31 minutes a game, getting to the line, and leading the 2nd best offensive rebounding squad in the league.

    Most observers viewed it as a mistake when the Kings swapped out Isaiah Thomas (signed by the Kings as a free agent) for Darren Collison at point guard, and it might prove to be one, but early returns are good as Collison is playing excellent basketball. His poor shooting has been ameliorated by six free throw attempts a game and a low mistake game.

    The Kings are succeeding by dominating the boards at both ends and leading the league in free throw rate. In addition to Cousins and Collison, Rudy Gay is averaging over seven FTAs a game as part of his 21+ points a night. He's a big and strong small forward that will present an interesting challenge for Andrew Wiggins.

    The Wolves are of course completely depleted. They remain without four starters for tonight, and it will be a struggle to keep up with the Kings. It's hard to see how the Wolves will score enough, but the big key might be the rebounding. Keeping the Kings off the offensive glass is going to be crucial, as it's a big way they get their offense. They aren't a great shooting team--they take and make very few threes, so it shouldn't be a flood of threes like it was against the Spurs last night, (only Ben McLemore is a consistent threat from deep), but they hit the boards and get to the line.

    With the Wolves having no depth left up front, competing in the paint is going to be a challenge. Gorgui Dieng is going to have to figure out how to play tough but not foul, and the rebounding will require a total team effort. Cousins will likely prove too big and strong for the Wolves, but Dieng will have to try to frustrate him.

    Offensively, everyone wants to see the Wolves force feed Wiggins given the circumstances, but it's far from clear that he's capable of carrying a big load at this point. They need to find a way to get Dieng the ball and hopefully put some pressure on Cousins at that end of the floor, though it's not ideal offense.

    Not sure who the Wolves will start at the four tonight, but Shabazz Muhammad struggled mightily yesterday while Anthony Bennett somehow scored 20. Neither is a great option, but someone has to play.

    Expected lineups

    Kings

    Darren Collison
    Ben McLemore
    Rudy Gay
    Jason Thompson
    DeMarcus Cousins

    Wolves

    Mo Williams
    Corey Brewer
    Andrew Wiggins
    Shabazz Muhammad
    Gorgui Dieng

    For more on the Kings, head over to Sactown Royalty.

    Game thread later, and Zach will be covering this one for us.

    Knee-jerk Notes: Andrew Wiggins 3rd Quarter vs. Spurs

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    The Minnesota Timberwolves went to Andrew Wiggins a lot during the 3rd quarter. Here are the highlights. I've left some notes.

    On Friday, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost at home to the San Antonio Spurs. Key Dae recapped the defeat on this website - you can read his thoughts by clicking this link. Despite the outcome, there were moments when Andrew Wiggins showcased his explosiveness on offense. These instances can be perceived as progress.

    By halftime, with the Wolves trailing 48-59, Wiggins had scored five points on three field goal attempts. In addition, he made three-of-four attempts from the foul line. Wiggins came alive during the 3rd frame when the Wolves made a concerted effort to get him some scoring opportunities. This has been a trend all season.

    Roughly 30 percent of Wiggins' playing time this season has come during 3rd quarters, where he's scored 61 of his 121 total points. Wiggins is shooting just over 60 percent from the field during that time. On Friday, Flip Saunders continued running designed plays for Wiggins almost immediately after halftime.

    Let's have a look. (I've got to make this quick, though. I'm at work. I just wanted to get these up before Wolves-Kings begins tonight.)

    Here, Wiggins receives the ball at the left-wing and is left with space to go 1-on-1 with Kawhi Leonard. It appears as if he makes his move before Gorgui Dieng can set a screen. By doing this, Wiggins runs himself right into Tim Duncan and the result is a badly missed shot.

    No big deal. Players miss shots all the time, especially against the Spurs. Onto the next.

    Here, Wiggins is rendered space to dribble-penetrate into an open lane. After a nifty crossover, he pulls up near the free throw line but the shot falls short.

    Lenard is no slouch on the defensive end -- Wiggins did well to create space for a jump shot. Unfortunately, it just didn't go in the basket. If you're keeping track, two scoring opportunities took place in about a four-minute span. And there's more.

    Below, Dieng and Mo Williams perform a side-pick and roll while Wiggins stands in the near-right corner of this image, spacing the floor. Dieng makes an impressive skip-pass to Wiggins. Here's the result.

    Boris Diaw is the Spurs player who goes to close on Wiggins, who takes one dribble left before launching a three point shot. Had there been more time on the shot clock Wiggins could have tried attacking the basket. Allthewhile, it's a decent opportunity considering the circumstances.

    Below, a play Wolves fans can rejoice over.

    When a player is in the triple-threat position, he is facing the basket and can either; shoot, dribble or survey the floor and pass to a teammate. Above: Wiggins achieves triple-threat position near the baseline. He jab-steps twice to create space, but sees Leonard is anticipating a pullup jumper. Moving parallel along the baseline, Wiggins takes one dribble and elevates toward the rim, absorbs contact, scores and makes the ensuing free throw to complete a 3-point play. His first points of the 3rd quarter.

    Here's another look.

    Something to keep in mind: Leonard is the reigning NBA Finals MVP.

    Below, less than a minute later, Wiggins is in triple-threat position again. After the previous possession Leonard doesn't want to leave room for Wiggins to drive baseline. Instead, he provides enough space for Wiggins to pull up and shoot from the perimeter.

    That's two consecutive possessions where Wiggins scored out of the triple-threat position from that area of the floor.

    And he's not done.

    You'll see Duncan arrive as Marco Belinelli - someone not known for his defensive prowess - faces Wiggins, who understands his path to the hoop is well defended. He simply elevates and connects on another jump shot taken near the corner. The last three possessions highlighted in this post happened between the 7:05 and 6:05 marks during the 3rd quarter.

    Wiggins scored 9 of his 14 points during the 3rd quarter. He shot four-of-nine from the field during that span. Not bad, not great, but this was undoubtedly an encouraging performance for the 19-year old rookie.

    After the game, Flip Saunders expressed how important it is for Wiggins to assert himself during the game, but doesn't want to always have to call his number. What that means is Saunders would like to see Wiggins demand the ball, get to his spots and score within the flow of the game. The Wolves shouldn't always have to run plays for Wiggins, who should be able to manufacture points without them -- that's how talented he is.

    Anywho, I'm off to the Target Center where I'll be covering Wolves-Kings later tonight.

    Until next time.

    New Orleans Pelicans at Utah Jazz Game Preview: Anthony Davis is a beast, but Jazz are bigger inside

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    New Orleans Pelicans (6-5) @ Utah Jazz (5-8)

    EnergySolutions Arena • Salt Lake City, UT

    7:00 p.m. (MT) • TV: ROOT Sports • RADIO: 1280 AM/ 97.5 FM

    The Utah Jazz dropped one last night to the Golden State Warriors, but in the NBA season there's no time to wait around and lick your wounds. There's another game tonight, against the up and coming New Orleans Pelicans. The Jazz are 3-2 at home, and the Pelicans are 2-4, and both teams played last night.

    The Jazz will be playing the second game in a back to back, and shouldn't be too tired. The Pelicans? They are playing the second game of a back to back, and the fourth game in six nights. Their Western road trip had them play (and lose) to the Portland Trail Blazers, beat the Sacramento Kings, then lose last night to the Denver Nuggets. Because the world is funny, they had to fly West from Denver to play tonight in Utah, before flying out back home to New Orleans. If there's a team that should be more tired right now it should be them. Especially since their starting center, Omer Asik, is doubtful to tonight's game. He missed last night because he tweaked his lower back before their game against Denver. As a result it meant that Alexis Ajinca (21:05) and Jeff Withey (16:13) had to play more minutes than anyone would want them to.

    I'm assuming that Asik will sit this one out as well, but without him New Orleans is a tough match-up. They play a very quick pace (12th fastest in the NBA), and have the 4th best Off RTG in the NBA (110.9 pts/100). They get buckets. Four players average 15.0 or more points per game (Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans, Ryan Anderson, and Jrue Holiday), and another three after that get at least 7 (Eric Gordon, Omer Asik, and Austin Rivers). Six of their players also average 1.5 or more APG, and as a team NO OTHER TEAM IN THE NBA RIVALS THEM when it comes to taking care of the ball. They turn it over 11.1 times a game, when you factor in how crazy that is with their quick pace you notice that they are #1 in TOV% as well. It helps that they will play against the Jazz tonight, who don't really ball hawk that much.

    They have a diverse offensive attack, where there are obvious specialists on the floor. Ryan Anderson takes 7.1 threes a game, and is a killer off the bench. Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday, and Tyreke Evans all start, all can pass, drive, and shoot, and are legit triple threats. They have guys like Austin Rivers and Jimmer Fredette off the bench, and they can get really hot if they start off having success in the first quarter.

    Oh, and there's Anthony Davis. I was in shock scouting him today, his nickname shouldn't have anything to do with his eyebrow, but everything to do with his game. And his game is flat out ridiculous right now. It should be so synonymous as Air Jordan. We should be calling him Ridiculous Davis. He is beasting right now.

    Yikes.

    The Jazz aren't a bad team, in fact, I like them very much tonight and could pull off a solid win. In fact, in the preseason I expected that this game would be a win. And I am sticking with that. Davis will be a problem, and they have a ton of three point shooters. But the Jazz play really well at home against tired teams (historically), and I suspect that they will have no answer for Gordon Hayward.

    Yes, they have advantages all over the court, but I believe in G-Time, and I think that Enes Kanter, Trevor Booker, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert will give Davis lots of different looks on offense and defense, and keep him on his toes. Also, you may not remember this, but he has bad luck against the Jazz. He always seems to get injured or in foul trouble. He averages only 23.9 mpg against the team, which is less than half the game. Sure, he still gets 15.0 ppg and 7.9 rpg, but there's something funky between Davis and the Jazz.

    Obviously, this team is going to need something from Trey Burke and Alec Burks to pull off the win. And I have faith that they will be positive players in this game. Sure, there's no Rodney Hood, and as a result, the bench threats cannot compare to Ryan Anderson -- but I think our starters will be a little hungrier.

    After all, having Quin Synder change the notification sound on all of their phones to "Wake up" cannot have anything other than a motivating effect.

    Don't forget to sign up for FanDuel. Here's the link!

    And yes, that is the whole reason for this post. SB Nation's gotta keep the lights on somehow.

    Kings at Timberwolves First Half Game Thread

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    Wolves host Kings tonight in the 2nd game of a home back to back, still short four starters. Hopefully not a recipe game.

    Kings at Wolves
    7:00 pm CST
    FS North

    The Sacramento Kings come to town tonight sporting a 7-5 record on the young season. The Kings, yet another team that once inhabited the lower reaches of the Western Conference along with the Wolves, have the look of a team that is moving up, with recent wins over the Spurs and the Bulls.

    The Kings are succeeding by dominating the boards at both ends and leading the league in free throw rate. In addition to Cousins and Collison, Rudy Gay is averaging over seven FTAs a game as part of his 21+ points a night. He's a big and strong small forward that will present an interesting challenge for Andrew Wiggins.

    The Wolves are of course completely depleted. They remain without four starters for tonight, and it will be a struggle to keep up with the Kings. It's hard to see how the Wolves will score enough, but the big key might be the rebounding. Keeping the Kings off the offensive glass is going to be crucial, as it's a big way they get their offense. They aren't a great shooting team--they take and make very few threes, so it shouldn't be a flood of threes like it was against the Spurs last night, (only Ben McLemore is a consistent threat from deep), but they hit the boards and get to the line.

    With the Wolves having no depth left up front, competing in the paint is going to be a challenge. Gorgui Dieng is going to have to figure out how to play tough but not foul, and the rebounding will require a total team effort. Cousins will likely prove too big and strong for the Wolves, but Dieng will have to try to frustrate him.

    Expected lineups

    Kings

    Darren Collison
    Ben McLemore
    Rudy Gay
    Jason Thompson
    DeMarcus Cousins

    Wolves

    Mo Williams
    Corey Brewer
    Andrew Wiggins
    Shabazz Muhammad
    Gorgui Dieng

    Here is a link to our blogging buddies for the evening at Sactown Royalty. Be excellent.

    No no and no.

    Enjoy the game. Chat here. Go Wolves.

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