The Sacramento Kings continued their domination of ferocious animals. It wasn't always pretty. It wasn't always fun. But the Kings got the win.

The Sacramento Kings have had so many quality wins so far this season. We have beat some of the best teams in the league, and struggled against some of the worst. With almost all of the Minnesota Timberwolves guns on the bench with an array of injuries, this was a trap game. The Kings played like it was, too. In the first half, they seemed to be more content with hitting the big three or trying to get that big play down low that they forgot the play that has given us most of our wins this season. The second half, while not exactly great basketball itself, showed a little more urgency and got the Kings a double digit lead. In the end, there was good, there was bad, and there was some ugly, but we got the win, and I will take that, especially when it means we are 8-5*.

DeMarcus Cousins led the team with the most effortless 31 points and 18 rebounds of his career. Ben McLemore had his best statistical performance of the young season, with a cool 22 points and nine boards himself. Darren Collison continued his great stretch of games with 19 points and seven assists. I will say Collison had a few more ugly plays than I am used to seeing, but seeing as he hasn't made a habit out of it, I will not read much into it. Derrick Williams was our only bench player who really showed up. Derrick, coming off a good performance on Thursday, was able to get 12 points and six rebounds. He too had a couple of ugly plays, but considering his last stint before these games was a 3 foul in 39 second performance, I will take it. Aggressive Derrick is good Derrick. Omri Casspi, who has been arguably my favorite player not named Boogie, had a very sub-par game by the standards he set. He was forcing the issue a little bit too much, and didn't do much of note outside of a nice and-1. Nik Stauskas appears to have no confidence right now. I feel a stint in that fast paced Reno Bighorns offense could do wonders for him, but as we have learned. Teams do not like sending their lottery picks to the D-League.

On the other side of the court, Andrew Wiggins had his highest scoring output of the season. He found ways to score even when his shots were not falling. This was my first full game watching him this season, and he impressed me. Random veteran presence and baffling former All Star Mo Williams had a great first half; dishing out 10 dimes in that half alone. He finished with 12.

I could nitpick 'til my face turns blue, but in the end, we got the W. And in the words of Kevin's favorite 80's sitcom.

You take the good,

You take the bad,

You take them both,

And there you have...

That Kings game.

For the opposing team's view, visit our pals over at Canis Hoopus.

*9-4

The Minnesota Timberwolves were defeated by the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

I don't have internet in my apartment right now. So I'm maneuvering. I move at the end of the month and this is just how things worked out. Sorry for being tardy. Here's your recap.

--

In the second game played since it was announced Kevin Martin would be sidelined with a fractured wrist for an indefinite period of time, Andrew Wiggins was the only active, opening day starter in the lineup on Saturday against the Sacramento Kings.

Ricky Rubio wore knit-looking-sweater on the sidelines, Martin sat aside Ryan Saunders on the bench and Thaddeus Young remains away from the team a week-or-so removed since his mother passed away. Nikola Pekovic was wearing a splint on his left hand, sitting next to the Wolves other inactive center, Ronny Turiaf.

The Wolves, down to 10 active players because of the aforementioned, unfortunate circumstances, started their 8th different lineup in 12 games this season. Flip Saunders went with Wiggins, Mo Williams, Corey Brewer, Anthony Bennett and Gorgui Dieng while Shabazz Muhammad, Chase Budinger, Robbie Hummel, Zach LaVine and Glenn Robinson III were ready on the bench.

The Kings countered with Darren Collison, Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, Jason Thompson and Demarcus "Boogie" Cousins. Collison entered the night averaging 17 points and 8 assists over the last four games. Remember when the Kings refused to sign Isaiah Thomas during the offseason, subsequently only to see him pen a deal with the Phoenix Suns?

Perhaps they don't miss Thomas as much as some thought they would.

Mo Williams got teammates involved during the first quarter and tallied six assists in the process. As they did in the 3rd quarter against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, the Wolves orchestrated plays for Andrew Wiggins, who scored five points on two-of-six shooting during the first frame.

On the defensive end, for the purposes of conserve energy and avoiding foul trouble, the Wolves were in a zone defense. The Kings didn't appear prepared for what they saw. After the 1st quarter, the home club was up, 24-21.

Flip Saunders left Wiggins in when the 2nd quarter started and, by the time Wiggins came out, he had played 18-and-a-half minutes. Shabazz Muhammad entered the game during the 2nd quarter and, as expected, played with lively much-needed energy. He scored six points and grabbed two-offensive rebounds in a little more than eight minutes of playing time.

At halftime, behind 10 points from Gorgui Dieng and 11 by Corey Brewer - with Williams' 10 assists -  the Wolves led by four, 52-48. Moreover, despite the lead, it was obvious that Boogie Cousins was giving them problems and there was little the Wolves could do about it. The Kings center went into the locker room with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.

Inexplicably, Ben McLemore scored 13 points during the 3rd quarter - he hit three-of-four from three and was en route to a season-high 22 point performance. The Kings second-unit features former Wolves Ramon Sessions and Derrick Williams, who combined to score nine points during the first three quarters.

After halftime, Saunders continued to call Wiggins' number, and the rookie played the entire 3rd quarter. Albeit shooting one-of-six, Wiggins went to the free throw line eight times and entered the final frame with 18 points. Because of all the injuries, the Wolves are going to depend on Wiggins more than they have, and maybe wanted to, throughout the first few weeks of his career.

Boogie was dominant in the 4th quarter, after the Kings outscored the Wolves 36-25 during the 3rd. Cousins finished with 31 points and 18 rebounds and, after the game, Saunders referred to Cousins as one of the best centers in the league. The Wolves were defeated for the second time in as many nights, this time by the score of 113-101.

Because of circumstances, mostly injuries, Saunders has no choice but to depend on the younger players. This is especially true when it comes to Wiggins, who scored 29 points during Saturday's loss to the Kings - the highest point total any rookie has scored this season.

Moral victories are rarely celebrated in professional sports. But, perhaps begrudgedly, they are always acknowledged. Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine scored 56 of the Wolves 101 points on Saturday.

"I was happy with how we played, with who we have," Saunders said during his postgame press conference. Had his group not played well, it would have been easy to be satisfied knowing nobody else was hurt. The Wolves can't afford to lose any more players because of injuries.

Saunders expressed Thaddeus Young will be available for their next game, which is Wednesday, November 26, against the Milwaukee Bucks.

After losing Chris Andersen to injury, Miami is set to sign D-League center Hassan Whiteside from the Iowa Energy.

According to the Sun Sentinel, the Miami Heat are set to call up Iowa Energy center, Hassan Whiteside. It's necessary to regard the timing of the call-up considering Miami lost center Chris Andersen to a right ankle injury in the first quarter of Sunday night's game against the Charlotte Hornets.

Whiteside was the selected 33rd in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings and spent two seasons playing for them. However, he's become a journeyman of sorts playing for short spurts in both China and Lebanon. While playing in China in 2013, Whiteside was named defensive player of the year.

Earlier this year, Whiteside signed with the Memphis Grizzlies before later being placed on waivers and joining the Iowa Energy. He was actually acquired once again by the Grizzlies on November 14th before being waived on November 19th.

Whiteside is an interesting pick up by Miami because of his defensive prowess. It will be interesting to see if he gets minutes over Justin Hamilton, who has been reliable in the past.

The NBA today announced that Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was named the Western Conference Player of the Week.  Boogie led the Kings to a 2-1 record and produced some eye-popping numbers to boot.

From the press release:

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Week after leading the Kings to a 2-1 record, averaging 25.7 points (.577 FG%) , 16.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game.

Cousins recorded a double-double in all three games including a season-high tying 18 rebounds, to go along with 31 points, in a 113-101 win against Minnesota on Nov. 22. He also scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a 103-88 win, ending Chicago's 6-0 perfect road record for the season on Nov. 20 at Sleep Train Arena.

Cousins is the league leader in rebounds per game with 12.3 to go along with 23.2 points and 1.5 blocks. He is also second in the league in double-doubles with 10.

This is the second time in his career Cousins has been named Player of the Week with the first time coming on Jan. 13, 2014 and is the 20th time a King has been honored in the Sacramento era.

Boogie's truly been a monster, and the Kings even tweeted out StR member PurpleLoco's photoshop in commemoration of the award:

Artist rendering of @boogiecousins' week. (H/T @SactownRoyalty) pic.twitter.com/wOltkG3Udo

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) November 24, 2014

This likely won't be the last of these awards for Boogie this year, especially if Sacramento continues to find success.

Congratulations big fella!

Before another small road trip, the Pelicans stop in NOLA for some home cooking. This time, the Sacramento Kings await for some basketball between two of the early Western Conference surprises. Can the Pelicans handle life without two of its starters? What does Anthony Davis have for us after his spectacular performance against Utah?

After a four-game road trip, the Pelicans stop back home for a game before playing five of their next six games on the road.

The Pelicans are coming off a 106-94 victory over the Utah Jazz. Jrue Holiday looked excellent against Utah’s guards and Jeff Withey came in providing positive production. Oh yeah, that Anthony Davis guy decided to take over basketball twitter for the night by scoring 43 points (on 23 shots) and grabbing 14 rebounds. Further establishing his role as the "best player in the league" so far this season.

Unfortunately, the Pelicans lost Eric Gordon in that game. Oleh wrote a piece on Gordon’s injury and what it means for the Pelicans moving forward. Before the injury, Gordon looked decent, scoring double-digit points in his last four games, helping a bit in assist category, and spacing the floor. With him out, I imagine Austin Rivers moves into a starting position, which further weakens a lackluster bench.

Moving forward, the Pelicans return home to play the Sacramento Kings. After some interesting draft techniques and odd free-agent decisions this offseason, the Kings have silenced the doubters. Starting off the season with a 8-5 record, headlined by impressive wins over Portland and San Antonio, will do that. In his second season with the team head coach Michael Malone has begun to turn the Kings around. DeMarcus Cousins gives them a bona fide superstar in the middle. These two teams played last week during New Orleans’ road trip, with the Pelicans pulling out a 106-100 victory in NBA TV’s Game of the Night.

Stats of Note

New Orleans enters the game as the better offensive team, registering an offensive efficiency of 108.5, while Sacramento sits at 105.1, per NBA.com. Based on the numbers, Sacramento’s offense appears more isolation based. The Kings rank 27th in assist ratio at 14.9 and 25th in the league at 19.2 assists per game. While Cousins is a good passer in his own right, the combination of he, Ben McLemore, and Jason Thompson has offered very little passing, and a ton of shooting for the Kings this year.

Defensively, the Kings are slightly better than New Orleans, but consider the loss of Omer Asik to be the difference here. The combination of Cousins’ improvement on the defensive end and the defensive upgrade from Isaiah Thomas to Darren Collison at the point guard position helped the Kings have moved from the bottom of the league (23rd last season), to the middle of the pack, ranking 14th with a 103.3 defensive efficiency rating.

Check out the SB Nation Sacramento Kings blog for their perspective: Sactown Royalty

Keys To Victory

Limit Possessions– The Kings are currently 4th in the league at time of possession, currently tied with Oklahoma City at 20.1 minutes. Sacramento compounds that with impeccable rebounding, ranking first in the league with a 30.0% Offensive Rebound rate. A ton of that credit goes to Cousins and Thompson, but Rudy Gay is also cleaning up on the glass, giving them a solid trio of rebounders in the frontcourt.

Fantastic numbers for Kings, but the Pelicans do have one advantage in the rebounding department: contested rebounds. New Orleans ranks first in contested rebounds per game and contested rebound percentage. Davis leads the league with 5.9 contested rebounds per game while Asik sits at 4.1. If Asik is out, the Pelicans will need Alexis Ajinca and Ryan Anderson to help Davis on that end. Anderson is solid in that department, averaging 3.1 contested rebounds, while Ajinca only averages 1.7 per game.

The idea is to limit the amount of extra shots the Kings can get, and stop Sacramento from force-feeding DeMarcus Cousins or Ben McLemore behind the arc an extra two or three times. Speaking of Boogie...

Slowing Down The Boogie – DeMarcus Cousins is playing like one of the seven best players in the league to start the season, and even that doesn’t feel like enough credit for his current play. He’s been unstoppable offensively (23.2 points per game, 58.7 TS%) and his rebounding numbers are unreal (12.3 per game, 22.8% total rebound percentage). More frighteningly, Cousins is becoming a net positive on the defensive end, thanks in large part to improved rim protection.

Against Sacramento last week, the Pelicans did a good job of allowing Ajinca to front Cousins in the paint and allow Davis to clean up any mistakes on the backend. That still resulted in a 24 point-17 rebound performance from Cousins. I expect more of the same in this matchup. The Pelicans will rely on "containing" Boogie while forcing him into some of his typical mistakes. At this stage in his career, Cousins still gets into foul trouble (4.7 per game), and he’ll turn the ball over a bunch for a center (3.3 per game).

Here are Boogie's made shots in the first matchup between these two teams. Like I said, the idea appears to be fronting Boogie with a center and stopping him with a swooping Davis to clean up the shot. You also see as Davis defending Cousins, he's just too small to defend him one-on-one (see shots six and eight). Also, good lord, look at shot number seven on this reel as Cousins goes coast-to-coast for the finish.

(Again, thanks to NBA.com for the video they provide us.)

Force Sacramento Outside– The Kings have one of the biggest bullies down low, but outside, they aren’t so tough. Sacramento ranks 26th in the league at 34.4% on shots from 15-19 feet, 28th at 31.9% from 20-24 feet, and 25th from three at 31.4%. Outside of McLemore (41.4% from three on 4.5 attempts per game), the Pelicans have to remove those shots at or near the rim and push Sacramento further and further near the three-point line.

The problem? New Orleans leads the league in opponent’s shots per game from five feet or less. The Pelicans will have to get pressure on Sacramento's guards, and use their knack for creating longer possessions into poor shots. With no Gordon and Asik, the Pelicans will probably rely on a shorter rotation, and that's going to push New Orleans' starters into longer minutes.

TV: Fox Sports New Orleans and NBA League Pass

Radio: WWWL 1350AM

Time: 7:00p.m. Central Time

Before you go, I have one last thing: Hello! My name is Quentin Haynes. I'm one of the newer contributors here on The Bird Writes. Currently a college student at the University at Buffalo, I love to talk and write about sports, music, and a bunch of other things, some nerdy, and some not so nerdy. I'll try my best to be active in the comments and if you think I'm cool, you can follow me on twitter @Haynesenberg. Let me know if you're from The Bird Writes, too.

Also...I tweet about wrestling. I have to let you know that before you hate me for live tweeting the PPV's. Glad to meet you all. Go Pellies.

The Miami Heat just announced the signing of a new center at the expense of a rarely used guard.

The Miami Heat just announced that they have officially agreed to terms with center Hassan Whiteside and waived backup shooting guard Shannon Brown.

Whiteside played in three games for the Iowa Energy of the NBA Developmental League.  In the NBADL, Whiteside was averaging an astonishing 22 points, 16 rebounds and just over 5 blocks per game on ... Wait for it ... 86% from the field.

Whiteside's only NBA experience comes from playing in 19 games for the Sacramento Kings spread over the 2010-11 and 2011-12 season after being a second round pick of the team in 2010.  He has also spent time in Lebanon and China.

To create Whiteside's roster spot the Heat waived Shannon Brown, who has appeared in 5 games (and started 2) for the team this season.  Brown has struggled to earn any steady playing time and has averaged just 4 points per game on 37% shooting when he has played.

It remains to be seen if any other moves will follow this one.  The Heat now have 4 centers on the roster and a clear hole at shooting guard.  This move also may indicate that Dwyane Wade is healthy, as Brown had started the last two games in Wade's absence.

Whiteside will wear number 21 for the Heat.

With tonight's game in New Orleans, the Kings begin a stretch of five games in which their opponents have a combined record of 51-16.  The Pelicans are coming in a little banged up but did just beat the Kings in Sacramento a week ago.  Tonight's action tips off at 5:00 pm tonight on Comcast SportsNet California and on KHTK 1140.

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The Pelicans are once again going to be without Center Omer Asik, meaning they have very little big man depth to guard DeMarcus Cousins.  Last week, the Pelicans countered this a little bit by playing zone defense, but Cousins was still able to score 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting.  This time New Orleans will also be without guard Eric Gordon, who suffered a shoulder injury earlier this week.  With Gordon out the Pelicans will likely move Tyreke Evans to Shooting Guard and start either John Salmons or Luke Babbitt at Small Forward which should create a matchup advantage for Sacramento.  The Kings are dealing with some nagging injuries themselves however, as Rudy Gay, Darren Collison and Ramon Sessions are all listed as questionable to play.  Gay's been listed as questionable a lot the past week due to his achilles tendinitis but has yet to miss a game because of it.  We'll have more clarity on the status of Sacramento's players before the game starts.

2. The Kings probably should have beaten the Pelicans at home last week, but a strong third quarter by New Orleans in which they outscored Sacramento 31 to 15 completely changed the outcome of the game.  Sacramento's defense completely fell apart as each of New Orleans' points either came from beyond the three point line or right by the rim.  Tyreke Evans, who was a non-factor in the first half, scored 18 points in the 2nd half and Ryan Anderson continuously got open beyond the arc.  It could have been even worse than it was too, as Anderson was just 4-12 from beyond the three point line (with three of those makes coming in that third quarter).

3. Derrick Williams has been seeing playing time lately and he's been doing well too.  The Kings will need him to continue to be aggressive off the bench and take advantage of what will likely be a matchup advantage against someone like Salmons, Babbitt or Anderson.  That means not settling for jumpers and attacking the rim, the only place where he's proven he can score consistently in his career.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Jason Thompson vs. Anthony Davis

In last week's game against the Pelicans, Jason Thompson started off on Anthony Davis and did a pretty good job on both ends of the court.  However, Coach Malone ended up going with Omri Casspi over Thompson down the stretch, and while Casspi was providing a scoring punch, I think the Kings missed the defense that Thompson provided.  Tonight I think we'll see a lot more Jason Thompson so as to try to contain Anthony Davis a little bit better.

PREGAME LIMERICK

Ryan Anderson exists to create a spark,
lighting it up from beyond the arc.
Remember that,
don't stand pat,
and make him miss the mark.

PREDICTION

Kings 106, Pelicans 100 because that's the opposite of what happened last week and I like symmetry.

Ever wanted to meet Kings guard Ben McLemore in person?  We've got a pass to give away for a special VIP meet and greet with Ben himself next week on December 1st at the Dixon Pizza Guys.  The first 100 fans to get there from 6:30 to 7:30 pm will get either an autograph or a picture with Ben, but this VIP pass will entitle you to a special meet and greet with Ben from 6:00 to 6:30, and it's good for one other person as well.  Sounds pretty good right?

So how do you get the pass?  Well in honor of Sign Lady, we want you to bust out the poster board and glue and come up with your best McLemore, Kings or Sactown Royalty related signs and then post them in the comments (you can upload pictures of the sign to Imgur for free here and use the created url to add them into the comments).  The winner will be chosen at random from all entries, although the best signs, as judged by fellow commenters (i.e. signs with 5 "recs" or more) will be given two entries and a higher chance to win.  If you will not be able to make it to the signing, either do not submit a sign for entry or make it clear that your entry is just for fun.

As this will be a time consuming contest, we will be allowing submissions until this Friday, November 28th, with the winner being chosen on Saturday, November 29th.  May the best sign win!

A shorthanded Kings team got major contributions from its unheralded members and exacted vengeance against a team who had just beaten them a week ago.

The Sacramento Kings are proving to be a resilient bunch. With two starters nursing injuries and their coach ejected in the second quarter, the team pulled together admirably. In a total team-wide effort where every member of the team seemingly played its part, the Kings handed the New Orleans Pelicans a home loss reminiscent of the blow the Pelicans dealt to the Kings just a week ago by a score of 99-89.

The Kings were led by DeMarcus Cousins, who was his usual sublime self. Although the return of Omer Asik made it more difficult for Cousins in the paint, Boogie still managed blow up the Pelicans with 22 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. Most importantly, Cousins avoided foul trouble and played 35 total minutes. Cousins was joined by the relentless Omri Casspi, who started in the place of the injured Rudy Gay. Casspi is the Kings' honey badger, giving not a damn who he was taking to the rack, including the Pelicans' shotblocking savant Anthony Davis. Omri moves so well without the ball and the Kings' offense is especially conducive to finding him in motion off of cuts and curls, giving Casspi a straight line to the rim where he is often able to finish because of his craftiness.

Several players contributed in many key areas. Jason Thompson played marvelous defense against Davis, who struggled to find a rhythm all game. Thompson was in Davis' chest all game, forcing him out onto the perimeter using his strength advantage, using his size to harass the lob passing lanes Davis usually thrives on, and blocking Davis off from being a menace on the glass. Davis finished with only 14 points on 4/12 shooting. Ramon Sessions shrugged off a sluggish start to help break down the Pelicans defense opportunistically down the stretch, including hitting a big three pointer to put the Kings up 14 with 3 minutes to go. Sessions ended with 15 points and 6 assists on 4/13 shooting.

In what has become a recurring theme on the road, the Kings started off hot out of the gates. Ben McLemore was on fire, scoring all 10 of his points in the first half. Cousins was offline with his jumper, but did enough work in the interior to scrap out 8 points, 4 boards and 2 assists. The Kings defense stifled the Pelicans, including their superstar Davis, and raced out to an early 14 point lead. Unfortunately, as it has for most of the season, the bench really let the team down. To be fair, a small lineup featuring Carl Landry at center isn't exactly a formula for sustained success, but regardless the bench failed to score at a decent enough clip to make up for the lack of rebounding.

There were several questionable coaching decisions that exacerbated the situation as well. Michael Malone was ejected with two quick techs after saying the magic word, McLemore didn't see the court until the very end of the quarter, and Ramon Sessions (who was playing terrible) got the nod down the stretch over Ray McCallum (who was the only bench player to play well). The result was elimination of whatever lead the Kings had left and the team went into the locker room tied at 48.

The second half began with a criminal case of Boogiecide. Cousins scored 8 points in the quarter, displaying his shooting touch from the perimeter and impeccable footwork in the paint. Casspi also came alive, running the break like a gazelle and attacking the paint with reckless abandon. Behind the Casspi/Cousins duo, the Kings built an eight point lead that the bench was then tasked to protect. This time, McCallum and Nik Stauskas stepped up, hitting big shots to help keep the Pelicans at bay. Both McCallum and Stauskas had their best outings of the year, scoring 12 and 9 points respectively. The Kings' defense off the bench was also helped by Thompson's presence on the court. His defense and rebounding boosted a bench unit that was having trouble with the size of the Pelicans' reserves. When Cousins came back in to finish the game, the Kings still had an 8 point cushion to work with. The defense clamped down again and the Kings were able to extend the lead up to 14 points before settling into the final margin of 10.

The Kings did have trouble bottling up Tyreke Evans and Ryan Anderson. Evans scored 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, getting to the rim seemingly at will. Unfortunately for 'Reke, he had a costly turnover down the stretch when he left his feet, essentially slamming the door on any Pelicans comeback. As for Anderson, the Kings have had a miserable time defending stretch power forwards all year long. Anderson came in and continued the trend, scoring 20 points, including 3/7 from three point range. However, in a promising development, Casspi was able to keep Anderson from being a factor down the stretch. Perhaps that might be the key for the Kings in defending sweet stroking 4s in the future.

Next on the Kings' plate is a Houston Rockets squad sporting one of the top records in the league. After that is finishing off the road trip in San Antonio, and December is smelling rosy with an easier, home-heavy schedule. The Kings improved to 9-5 on the year, shredding one of the most difficult schedules in the NBA thus far. Its a good time to be a Kings fan.

For the opponent's perspective, visit The Bird Writes

Omer Asik returned and Darius Miller got the start over Austin Rivers, but the Sacramento Kings got revenge for their loss last Tuesday, pulling out a 99-89 victory.

Before the game, there was a rush of good news for the Pelicans. Omer Asik was returning from injury, after missing four games. That was huge for New Orleans because of DeMarcus Cousins, but more importantly, to stop Sacramento on the glass, as the Kings ranked third in rebounds per game. Then, the Kings announced that Rudy Gay and Darren Collison were both out for the game, displacing two starters in Sacramento's lineup.

Even with Eric Gordon out, going into this game, the Pelicans had a good chance to win this game with two starters out for Sacramento.

The game got off in the right note, but quickly went off the rails. New Orleans scored the game's first basket, proceeded by a 12-0 run by Sacramento. The Pelicans came out the gate sluggish, starting with three turnovers and a 1-9 shooting start. Early in the game, it was Sacramento's guards that came to play. Getting the start with Collison out, Ramon Sessions attacked the basket and moved the ball well, while Ben McLemore went 2-2, giving the Sacramento guards nine of their first 15 points in their first six minutes of the game.

When Ryan Anderson came into the game for New Orleans, the Pelicans did a good job finding him for some open jumpers, but they failed to fall. Oddly enough, the one shot that did fall was a quarter-ending buzzer beater. On the defensive end, the Kings did a great job of attacking him with DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins had two plays where he caught the ball in the low post and simply overpowered Anderson during one-on-one situations. At one point, Anderson was visibly upset with his teammates for not helping him as Cousins barreled his way to the basket.

The second quarter saw the second unit, led by Ryan Anderson, close the gap. Anderson went 5-6 in the quarter, including 2-2 from three for 12 points. Jimmer Fredette found him for a couple open jumpers, and Ryan asserted himself a bit with Cousins on the bench and the interior open. The defense looked better from the first quarter. The energy felt different with the second unit, and Jeff Withey had a couple good possessions. Getting the bench minutes over Alexis Ajinca (who finished with a DNP), Withey did a good job catching and finishing on the roll, and blocking a couple of shots on the defensive end.

Early in the second quarter, Kings head coach Michael Malone got thrown out of the game. A Sessions drove to the basket and didn't draw a foul, resulting in New Orleans getting a quick Anthony Davis basket. Malone flipped his lid, picking up two quick technicals. It was humorous to see DeMarcus Cousins look at his coach and beg the ref to take the technical from Cousins. It was awesome.

Speaking of DeMarcus Cousins, he absolutely took New Orleans out of rhythm in the third quarter. New Orleans and Sacramento went back and forth on five possessions to start the quarter, but Cousins took over, eventually finishing with 10 points, five rebounds, and three assists in the quarter. Here are some of the things that he did:

• Tough layup over Asik and Davis (2pts)
• Jumper (2pts)
• Missed jumper, but in the fight for the rebound, Cousins drew Jrue Holiday's fourth foul of the game with 9:14 left in the third, received free throws (1pt)
• Cousins leads a break, finishing with an assist and bucket by Casspi (2pts)
• Cousins steal, leading to a Pelican shot clock violation
• Cousins steal

Not only was Cousins thriving and making plays, but Omri Casspi did a good job of being a pest as well. With Rudy Gay out, Casspi did a great job at the small forward position, serving as a cutter and attacked the basket with relative ease. When Casspi wasn't attacking the basket, he was open from three, giving Austin Rivers and Tyreke Evans problems on the perimeter with his mobility and just running them around screens as he tried to get open.

A Few Notes

-- Jeff Withey played well, well enough for me to think he should get more playing time moving forward. He's nothing special overall, but I like that he can block some shots, finish on the pick and roll, and hit a couple jumpers. Getting the minutes over Ajinca was good to see, and finishing with six points, four rebounds, and three blocks should ensure that he gets more minutes as Monty Williams tinkers with his rotation.

-- Monty did a fine job with his rotation tonight. Jrue Holiday's foul trouble forced a bit more Austin Rivers into the game, but other than John Salmons getting nine minutes, Williams did a fine job balancing some lineups. The one lineup I want to see is Holiday, Rivers, Miller, Davis, and Asik. It relies on Davis/Holiday offense a bit too much, but Rivers aside, I like the defensive upside of it.

-- I like Ben McLemore. In an era of average shooting guards, he has a chance to be really, really special.

-- Good lord on Sacramento's rebounding. The Pelicans finished with more rebounds in the game, but it looked like Sacramento was just throwing guys out of the way to grab a rebound. If they couldn't get out of the way, they would go over you. Jason Thompson had two rebound chances where he tried to jump over Anthony Davis. DeMarcus Cousins was just a beast out there fighting for rebounds, and Carl Landry was banging bodies in that second lineup. I knew the stat, but to see them actually go out there and attempt to rebound was incredible to see.

The Pelicans have Wednesday and Thursday off before traveling to Atlanta on Friday. No rest for the weary as six of the next eight games are against playoff teams from last season. Oh, and Oklahoma City might be getting Russell Westbrookback early.

Have a great holiday. Don't forget to be thankful for Anthony Davis on Thursday.

The Rockets look to keep their improbable winning streak going when they take on the upstart Sacramento Kings at the Toyota Center tonight.

The Sacramento Kings are this year's Suns. At  9-5, the Kings would be the 7-seed in the West if the playoffs ended today and would face the Golden State Warriors in the first round. That would be a really fun matchup.

The Kings are one of the teams (the Suns and Pelicans are the others) that is trying to go for wins now and create separation from the Thunder. As it stands, the other 7 teams from last year's Western Conference playoffs look to be locks to make the postseason (knocks as hard as possible on every piece of wood available). Maybe the Kings have grand ideas about the playoffs, and that's great. But first they have to make it and that requires finishing ahead of the Thunder.

Last season, the Kings won the first two matchups with the Rockets before Houston won the second two. Those games were frustrating to watch and this one could be the same way.

Tip off is at 7pm CST.

Matchups:

Sacramento remains undefeated on this four game road trip after a good win in New Orleans yesterday.  Houston is missing several starters due to injury, but they're still one of the better teams in the NBA and they love to shoot from distance.  Tonight's action tips off at 5:00 pm tonight on Comcast SportsNet California and on KHTK 1140.

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The status on Kings starters Rudy Gay and Darren Collison is unknown, but Sacramento was able to pull out a good win without them yesterday in New Orleans.  Houston on the other hand is suffering even more serious injuries, with Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverly and Terrence Jones all likely out for tonight.  That means the Rockets have almost no depth with which to guard Cousins.  Tarik Black and Donatas Motiejunas are the only players over 6'8 that the Rockets will have available.  We could even see them having to throw 6'8 Joey Dorsey at Cousins.  There's no reason that this shouldn't be a monster game for Cousins, and we should feed him down low as much as possible.  It will open things up for everybody else as well.

2. Houston will likely play small tonight, which means we could see some interesting lineups.  Still, I liked the move by Tyrone Corbin yesterday to play Jason Thompson at Center with the bench unit because it strengthens that unit's defense and rebounding.  Carl Landry is simply not suited to play small ball center without other defensive players on the floor with him.

3. The Rockets love to shoot threes.  They're only 14th in 3P% but they're first in total makes and attempts and are last in two point makes and attempts.  The Kings will have to be wary to not leave shooters open, as the Rockets have them at every position.  Sacramento has been very good so far this year at defending the three point line, with the 5th best opponent 3P% at just 31.1%, and they'll have to remain diligent in the face of the incoming barrage tonight.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

James Harden vs. Ben McLemore

James Harden is the point of attack for Houston, especially with Dwight Howard out.  His ability to shoot, penetrate and create for others is among the best in the NBA and this will be a tough task for Ben McLemore.  On the other hand, Harden's defense leaves much to be desired, and an aggressive Ben should take advantage of that.  Ben has improved so much this season, but I think the next step for him will be learning how to attack the basket and get to the line.  Still, I'm not worrying as much about Ben's offense tonight as his defense; If he can keep Harden in check, this will be a much easier game for Sacramento.

PREGAME LIMERICK

Houston, we have a problem.
DeMarcus is causing bedlam.
Destroying the paint,
making the fans faint,
with some of them seeking asylum.

PREDICTION

Kings 109, Rockets 83 as DeMarcus Cousins looks at the big men Houston has to throw at him and proceeds to go on a rampage.

The Sacramento Kings today announced that both Rudy Gay (right Achilles tendinitis) and Darren Collison (left quadriceps contusion) will remain inactive for the second straight game as the Kings prepare to face the Houston Rockets tonight.  Meanwhile Ramon Sessions, who was listed as questionable the day before the Pelicans game, was upgraded to probable for tonight's game against Houston.

Sacramento received big contributions from several players in Rudy and Collison's absence yesterday against the New Orleans Pelicans.  Omri Casspi got his first start of the season and responded with a season-high 22 points on 9 of 14 from the field.  Sessions was just 4 of 13 from the field but still chipped in 15 points and 6 assists in his second start of the year.  Second year player Ray McCallum came in an provided a nice spark off the bench with 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting as the backup Point Guard.

Houston will be without three starters themselves: Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverly and Terrence Jones.  Tarik Black, Isaiah Canaan and Donatas Motiejunas will likely start in their place.

We ask Greg Wissinger to help us preview tonight's game.

One of the best blogs on the Internet is Sactown Royalty. No one outside Kevin Johnson had a bigger impact on keeping the Kings in Sacramento than the SR community. So with the Kings coming to town tonight, I felt it was a good opportunity to harangue Greg Wissinger, one of the site's editors, into answering three questions. Here's what he said:

What do Kings fan feel is their team's actual ceiling right now? Playoffs? 45 wins? 40 wins?

We recently did a poll at Sactown Royalty, and most fans are now guessing anywhere from 35-45 wins. We're really unsure how to predict the rest of the year, though. The Kings have played the second toughest schedule in the league thus far, and are on pace for 53 wins. None of us thinks they'll win 53, but we also didn't think they'd be this good.  Totally new territory for Kings fans, and we're just enjoying.

Do you think DeMarcus Cousins is the best center in the NBA? In a seven-game series, would you take him over Dwight Howard or Marc Gasol?

I'm not sure if Cousins is the best, but he's obviously in that conversation now. I would take Cousins in a seven-game series over Dwight or Marc, simply because he's a different type of center from those guys. I think they are all great in the own ways, but I think Cousins has shown an ability to completely take over a game offensively, while still contributing on defense. Besides, I'm a Kings fan, of course I'm going to go the homer route here.

What's your prediction for tonight's game?

Kings 105, Rockets 33. The Kings are an unstoppable force of nature, and it's silly of you to even question the outcome. (Ed. Note: this seems highly unlikely, but reminds me of this)

The Kings stormed back from an early 20 point deficit, but could not string together enough well-executed possessions down the stretch to climb the mountain.

The second night of a back-to-back on the road is usually tough; if you're playing in the Western Conference, that usually means playing a good to great team, and its paramount to play focused all game. Unfortunately for the Sacramento Kings, there just weren't enough stretches of good play, as they fell to the Houston Rockets by a final score of 102-89.

The Kings were led again by DeMarcus Cousins, who was able to take advantage of the absence of Dwight Howard and drop an impressive statline of 29 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists on 9/18 shooting from the field. Unfortunately, without Rudy Gay and Darren Collison, playmaking duties fell disproportionately to the big fellow, who ended the game with 7 turnovers. Cousins just did not get enough help from his teammates tonight. Omri Casspi did what he could within his own limits, scoring 14 points on 5/9 shooting, but could not replicate the pure scoring volume he showed last night in New Orleans. Ben McLemore stayed aggressive and scored on a variety of impressive moves that showed just how much he's improved from last year, but unfortunately did not shoot the ball well enough from deep to make up for the Kings missing two of their top three guns. He finished the game with 14 points on 6/17 shooting and 2/9 from three, but the team needed more from him to win tonight, and did not get it.

Probably most disappointing was the awful play of Ramon Sessions. Well, disappointment is usually in proportion to expectations, and Sessions has been horrible for most of the season, so I'm not sure what to call this. Sessions was not ready to play from the start, throwing the ball all over the place, letting himself get picked clean by the Rockets' rookie Isaiah Canaan, and letting Canaan get loose for the majority of his 24 points and 6 three pointers. Sessions ended the game with 8 points on 8 shots, with an atrocious 3:5 Assist to Turnover ratio.

In an amusing change of pace, the Kings started out the game incredibly flat. Due to an influx of turnovers and porous pick-and-roll defense, the first quarter was about as ugly as it could have been. The Kings found themselves facing a 37-19 hole early, a lead that ballooned up to 22 points at times. Sessions was particularly terrible in this span, failing in every PG duty imaginable with 3 turnovers early. Sessions has had major issues earlier in the year with his high dribble, and the Rockets' fiesty rookie Canaan took full advantage. But it was more than just Sessions, as the entire team was in a big funk. Cousins found himself mostly on the perimeter and McLemore couldn't find his range. Thankfully, Ray McCallum came in and stabilized the Kings somewhat. He brought defensive intensity and stabilized the team offensively. Derrick Williams also brought a nice spark, aggressively getting to the line to score 7 points at halftime. The momentum carried over to the starters, who rallied behind the offense and defense of Cousins, willing themselves back into the game and chopping the lead down to single digits at halftime.

The third quarter proceeded with the Kings continuing the chip away at the lead. McLemore's defense shone brightly in this stretch, getting right into James Harden's jersey. Harden was not gun-shy, but he was clearly rattled by the combination of McLemore's on the perimeter, and Thompson and Cousins in the paint. Harden ended the game with 26 points on 31 shots. Cousins also came alive, scoring on a variety of moves from both the high and low post. The Kings were able to cut the lead down to two several times, but every time they came close, Canaan would come alive. Canaan was a one-man momentum buster, being able to shoot mostly open threes off the dribble and blowing by both Sessions and McCallum as if they weren't there.

Down the stretch, the Kings were able to hang around, but not quite get over the hump. Donatas Montiejunas got loose on the Kings' fatigued frontcourt defenders in the post, scoring on a variety of impressive post moves and moving the ball beautifuly in the interior. The tired Kings began to lose acuity in this stretch; James Harden finally found some open looks for three, the Kings had some sloppy turnovers, and the Canaan and Montiejunas combination allowed the Rockets to pull away late.

The Kings now fall to 9-6 on the year and next face the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. For the opponent's perspective, visit The Dream Shake

*Alternate headline: Rockets avenge Summer League Championship loss. Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving, so I'm giving thanks for a few things.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you're able to enjoy this day with your loved ones.  Since it's Thanksgiving, it felt like a good time to give my thanks for a few things.

I'm thankful for the standard things, of course.  My wife, my son.  My family, my loved ones, my friends.  But let's spend some time focused on basketball, shall we?

• I'm thankful that we still have the Sacramento Kings
• I'm thankful for the Kings' hot start
• I'm thankful for Boogie and Rudy and Darren and Omri and Ben and Ray and Nik and Jason and Carl and Reggie and, sure, even Ramon
• I'm thankful for Michael Malone, who cares so much about this team that I sometime am afraid he'll literally explode
• I'm thankful Michael Malone has not literally exploded yet
• I'm thankful for Pete and Vivek and the brain trust that did what they thought best, no matter how much offseason scrutiny it created
• I'm thankful for the much-improved uniforms

San Antonio hasn't lost since the last time they played Sacramento and the Kings are looking to continue that trend.  It won't be easy though, as the Spurs are notoriously tough at home.  A win tonight would make for a very successful 3-1 road trip but it will require a much better effort than the other night against Houston.  Tonight's action tips off at 5:30 pm tonight on Comcast SportsNet California and on KHTK 1140.

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1.  The last time these two teams met, Sacramento was able to win despite not making a single three.  That's not likely to happen again.  The Kings aren't a great three point shooting team even at their fullest potential, but they'll have to make their open shots as the defense keys in on DeMarcus Cousins down low.  Cousins has done a good job of finding the open man when confronted with double teams, but aside from Ben McLemore, nobody has been able to consistently hit from outside.  As for rookie Nik Stauskas, he can't have moments like he did against Houston where he passed up open shots;  He's a shooter, and those are the shots he has to take.

2. San Antonio's offense hasn't been up to their usual championship standards this season.  They're just 21st in offensive rating, 11th in FG%, 16th in 3P%, 27th in FTA, and 12th in assists.  However their defense has been very good and that's what's allowed them to stay successful.  This is not an easy team to score on, and even though they're not up to their usual standards offensively, they can still turn it on, especially if you don't pressure them.

3. Turnovers were incredibly costly against Houston.  The Rockets were able to take advantage of Sacramento's 21 miscues to the tune of 32 points and that was really the main difference maker in the game.  San Antonio doesn't need any extra help scoring, and the Kings are going to have a tough enough time trying to win this game without turning the ball over.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Kawhi Leonard vs. Omri Casspi / Rudy Gay

Leonard is San Antonio's star of the future, and it's as much because of what he can do on the defensive end as the offensive end.  Leonard is an incredibly versatile player, although he's struggled with his outside shot so far this season, making just 28% of his threes to date.  As of the time of this writing it's unclear whether or not Rudy Gay will be able to play, but if he can't, it will be up to Omri Casspi to step up to the challenge.  Casspi has made most of his living this year by attacking the basket, which will be a tough prospect against Leonard's quickness and length.

PREGAME LIMERICK

Yesterday was a day full of turkey,
and now we face a team that's rather quirky.
They're the champs,
not a bunch of gramps,
and our odds of winning are kinda murky.

PREDICTION

Kings 95, Spurs 89 after Popovich decides to give his whole team the day off after a big Thanksgiving dinner.  He still manages to coach the ball boys and selected VIP fans to an almost victory.

A review by the NBA determined the Sacramento Kings indeed lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on a bizarre buzzer-beater.

The NBA denied the Sacramento Kings' protest of a Nov. 13 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies that came on a relatively controversial buzzer-beater by Memphis guard Courtney Lee.

In a statement, the league said commissioner Adam Silver determined the shot by Lee was within the officials' judgment and "not a misapplication of the playing rules. Sacramento's protest therefore did not justify the extraordinary remedy of overturning the game's result."

The Grizzlies mounted a furious comeback in the 111-110 win but trailed by a point with 0.3 seconds left on the game clock. An inbounds pass by Vince Carter found a backcutting Courtney Lee, who flipped the ball up and in before the buzzer sounded. While the shot clock may not have been running as soon as Lee caught the pass and Sacramento's Ryan Hollins may have even tipped the ball on the inbound, there seemed to be no way the NBA could overturn an entire game by reviewing such close calls.

Here's a refresher of the play from a few weeks back.

The protest that the Kings filed challenging the outcome of the last-second loss to the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this month has been officially denied.

The NBA has officially denied the protest made by the Sacramento Kings of the outcome of the Nov. 13 game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In that game, of course, Courtney Lee made a basket with .3 seconds left on the clock to beat the Kings 110-109. The Kings, and many Kings fans, believed the shot shouldn't have counted due to the clock expiring before Lee got the shot up. There was also question about whether Ryan Hollins tipped the ball on the in-bound pass.

On Friday, the league upheld the referee's decision in the game.

"The basis for the Kings' protest was that Courtney Lee's game-winning shot should have been disqualified as having been made after time expired. Under league procedures, each team has an opportunity to make submissions in support of its position, and the protesting team is required to establish a misapplication of the official playing rules that had a clear impact on the game's outcome. The Commissioner determined that the game officials' call that Lee's shot was timely was within their judgment and not a misapplication of the playing rules. Sacramento's protest therefore did not justify the extraordinary remedy of overturning the game's result."

If you want to relive the play, you can check it out here.

The league had until Dec. 2 to decide. The Kings will play the Grizzlies on Sunday in Sacramento.

UPDATE 11:35 AM:

Yahoo's Marc Spears spoke with some in the Kings organization, and the Kings are not pleased.  Here's what one source had to say:

"The referees had a duty to count frames on the replay and they didn't," one Kings source said. "We felt and still feel strongly that there was significant error in this decision."

Kings fans were already anticipating possibly being without Rudy Gay and Darren Collison against the Spurs, but now you can add star center DeMarcus Cousins to that list.

The Kings today sent out an injury report listing Cousins as doubtful to play due to a virus of some sort, while both Rudy Gay (right achilles tendinitis) and Darren Collison (left quadriceps contusion) remained questionable.  Sacramento has been without Gay and Collison in both of the prior two games, but Cousins has yet to miss a game this season.  On one good note, Cousins did sustain a minor knee injury in Wednesday's loss to the Houston Rockets, but that's not what will keep him out of tonight's game.  Still, the Kings will be extremely hard pressed to win this game without their three best players.  Ramon Sessions and Omri Casspi have been getting the start in Collison and Gay's absence, and Carl Landry will likely shift to the starting lineup if Cousins is gone, with Jason Thompson sliding over to center.

San Antonio is relatively healthy aside from the continued absences of Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills.  They also could be without head coach Gregg Popovich, who missed Wednesday's game with a minor medical procedure.  Assistant Coach Ettore Messina coached in his place and made history as the first European to coach an NBA game.

UPDATE 2:10 PM:

DeMarcus Cousins has been officially declared inactive for tonight.  Rudy Gay and Darren Collison are still questionable.