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Kings vs. Pelicans final score: Failure in fourth gives New Orleans 113-100 win

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Tyreke Evans was spectacular in his return to Sacramento as the Pelicans put away the Kings.

Tyreke Evans was spectacular in his first game in Sacramento as a visitor, leading the Pelicans to a 113-100 win over the Kings on Monday. Tyreke finished with 25 points on 7-14 shooting, 12 assists and 5 rebounds. Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon added 17 apiece.

DeMarcus Cousins finished 24 points on 7-14 shooting with 14 rebounds. He played less than 30 minutes due to foul trouble. Rudy Gay was totally horrible on both ends; he shot 2-12 and had six turnovers. The Kings had an unacceptable 22 turnovers in all, and shot just 42 percent from the floor. Marcus Thornton had another big scoring night with 19 on 5-12 shooting, but his defense was as gross as it had been in Orlando Saturday. The Pelicans broke the game open in the fourth as Thornton and Jimmer Fredette were in the backcourt together; Tyreke went on a mini-tear to give New Orleans a cushion Sacramento couldn't deflate once the starters came back in. The starters scored one basket in the final five minutes by the way, and it was a meaningless three as by Isaiah Thomas as the clock ticked away.

The Kings next play on Friday against the Heat at home. (Gulp.) They will apparently have at least two practices in the interim, doubling the number of sessions the newest Kings have had.


Shaq took over the Kings' twitter feed

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Shaq took over the official twitter feed of the Sacramento Kings during the third quarter of Monday's game. We bring you the highlights.

During the third quarter of Monday's game, Shaquille O'Neal took over the official twitter feed of the Sacramento Kings.  I guess when you own part of the team, these are the things you do.  And since some of our members don't partake in the twitter machine (cough, Section214, cough), we thought it would be best to bring you some highlights.

My personal favorite was Shaq being afraid to eat out in Sacramento.  I still insist I was out of town the night Kobe Bryant got food poisoning.

Pelicans Win Ugly Over the Kings, 113-100

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After an ugly 36 minutes, the Pelicans demonstrate their quality.

Winning counts, even if it's ugly. Since the 1st half was mostly that, let's just go ahead and fast forward to the 2nd half, where the game was most definitely won.

For once, the Pelicans did not collapse terribly in the third quarter. After a questionable offensive rebound, with Tyreke Evans showing off his Messi-esque feet, the ball found its way into Brian Roberts hands. Thankfully for my blood pressure, Tyreke ran back to the ball and yelled, "hey, right here" to avert disaster. After which, he calmly drove right by Isaiah Thomas for another layup, recording his 19th point. The rest of the quarter was awful and will not be discussed. If you missed it, congratulations.

After a bizarre sequence to begin the fourth quarter, Ryan Anderson buried a three pointer. On the next possession, he missed a wide open (by NBA standards, truly wide open players will be denoted with ALL CAPS) layup. Time and again, the Pelicans missed a number of shots right at the basket. I cannot pinpoint if it is just because they are avoiding contact or what, but the conversion rate in the restricted area must improve for the team to reach their goals.

Once they settled in, the Pelicans slowly pulled away during the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to DeMarcus Cousins fifth foul. After he picked up that foul, the Pelicans went on a 18-7 run. Tyreke Evans continued to attack the basket, resulting in three assists. Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson both made three pointers. Importantly, the Pelicans held the Kings to just 5 field goals in the quarter while forcing 4 turnovers. After Cousins 5th foul, the Pelicans scored on 12 of their 15 possessions -- scoring an extraordinary 27 points.

First Half Notes (since you asked):

- Ryan Anderson was abused by DeMarcus Cousins. Actually the entire team was, throughout the half. Cousins had 16 points and 10 rebounds in 17:50 on the court. The game plan was obviously to single cover Cousins in the post, but the results were not pretty. The beating Ryno took on the low block had predictably negative effects on his offense, where he put up only 2 points and missed his only (WIDE OPEN) three point attempt.

- The Pelicans recorded 17 assists on 22 made field goals. The ball movement was especially impressive in the first quarter as the ball routinely found the open shooter. Al-Farouq Aminu made multiple jumpers and Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon combined to go 3-5 from behind the arc.

- Defense, as defensive efficiency ratings would suggest, was nonexistent. Both teams shot better than 50% from the field. Troubling for the Pelicans was their inability to control the defensive glass. The Kings controlled 8 of their 20 misses to post an absurd 40% offensive rebound rate.

Lagniappe:

- Evans continues to stuff the stat sheet since his latest return: 25 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds. In his last three games, he is averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists, and 8.3 rebounds. On most teams, paying a player $12 million a season for that production, is considered a bargain.

- Holiday put up a solid stat line again and is really starting to get a feel for the offense. 40 assists versus only 12 turnovers on the road trip, good for a 3.3 Assist-to-Turnover Ratio. That'll do.

- Eric Gordon took a nasty fall in the third quarter. The diagnosis was a hip contusion and the sideline reporter said Gordon may have been available to return. Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery.

- According to the Sacramento broadcast, the Pelicans intend to stay the night in Northern California. In the morning, they will hold a practice before returning to New Orleans later in the day.

Kings vs. Pelicans: Breaking down the fourth quarter collapse, failure by failure

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What happened in the fourth quarter on Monday? We break it down blow by blow.

The Kings entered the fourth quarter Monday night tied with the Pelicans at 77. Neither team had defended too well, but behind DeMarcus Cousins and Marcus Thornton, the Kings were in the game. Then the fourth happened, and the Kings lost by 13.

This is what went down on both ends, possession by possession.

***

Tyreke Evans misses a contested three over Marcus Thornton. Rudy Gay tries a bounce pass to DeMarcus Cousins into the post, but Anthony Davis (guarding Gay) easily steals it. 77-77.

Tyreke and Davis miss gimmes in transition, and Gay gets a rebound while sitting down. But the Pelicans take it away from him. 77-77.

Ryan Anderson hits a spot-up three over Derrick Williams. Marcus Thornton misses a spot-up three. 80-77.

Anderson misses a layup off of a nice pass. Jimmer Fredette feeds Williams in the secondary break, and Williams gets fouled going to the rim. He hits both. 80-79.

Brian Roberts hits a long two over Jimmer Fredette off the dribble. Jimmer attacks Roberts and scores on a short bank. 82-81.

Roberts loses Jimmer on a double ball screen and hits an open layup. Michael Malone calls a timeout. Good ball movement leads to an open Jimmer three in the corner. 84-84.

A Roberts-Davis pick and roll goes awry as Cousins defends it well. Turnover Pelicans. Cousins attacks Anderson in the post, but misses a wild shot under the rim. Wants a foul call, doesn't get it. 84-84.

Tyreke drives to the rim with ease and dumps off to a wide open Davis for a jam. Cousins posts Anderson, clears him out with a bump, draws a foul on the helping Darius Miller. Hits one of two, but Williams fights for the rebound and the Kings get it. Cousins immediately reposts Anderson and draws another foul. 87-86 Kings.

Roberts comes off a screen and misses a jumper over Fredette. Cousins posts Alexis Ajinca, tries to shoot over a double, misses. 87-86. Kings.

Tyreke beats Gay to the rim, draws a fifth foul on Cousins, who rotates to help. Cousins exits. Tyreke hits both. Gay isolates on Davis, gets his shot blocked. 88-87 Pelicans.

Roberts misses a spot-up corner three. Jimmer leads the break and feeds Williams for the and-1. Kings 90-88.

Thornton gambles for a steal that, if successful, would have resulted in Thornton dribbling into the scorer's table. Holiday, now wide open, attacks the rim for a layup. Gay passes up an open three fed by Jimmer, ends up missing a contested layup. 90-90.

On a broken play, Tyreke drives on Gay for a floating baby hook. Jimmer drains a 15-footer off of a curl. 92-92.

Thornton loses Holiday (who has the ball) on a screen up high. Holiday hits a wide open pull-up three. The Kings' play gets broken, so Jimmer takes a 30-footer right in front of Malone with the shot clock ticking down. It does not go in. 95-92 Pelicans.

This is where it all fell apart.

Tyreke runs a picture perfect pick and roll with Davis. It's picture perfect primarily because Jason Thompson and Gay glue themselves to Tyreke, leaving Davis totally free. Timeout Kings. Starters back in. Isaiah and Gay hook up for one of ugliest turnovers of the night after the TO. I'm not really sure how to describe except to say they were 25 feet from the basket, four feet from each other, and a lob pass didn't connect. Yeah. 97-92 Pelicans.

Tyreke blows by Gay on a pick (surprise!), but Cousins rotates and forces a missed layup. No one else rotates, and Ajinca flushes the putback. Cousins draws a post foul on Ajincia, who has now fouled out. (That brings Anderson, who also has five fouls, back in.) Cousins hits one of two FTs. 99-93.

Davis misses a baseline jumper as Cousins closes well. But Cousins doesn't recover back to get the rebound, and the other Kings are in horrible rebounding position, so Davis slips in and grabs it, drawing a foul. He hits both. Malone yanks Thompson. Cousins posts up, Holiday doubles down and fouls on the attempt. Cousins hits one of two. 101-94.

Cousins had hit the floor going for a rebound on his miss, so the Pelicans get down the floor quickly as he tries to recover. Tyreke hits a wide open Ryan Anderson in the corner. Unfortunately, Isaiah closing out on him does not prevent the three. Cousins does not enter the frame until the ball has gone through the net. Isaiah attacks the rim and draws a foul on Davis. Isaiah hits the first, misses the second, Cousins misses three tipback attempts. 104-95.

Tyreke beats Gay off the dribble, draws a foul. Hits both. Cousins posts Davis, and is doubled. Looking for an outlet, he travels. 107-95.

Davis misses a face-up jumper over Cousins, but Anderson taps out the rebound. On the second chance, Roberts hits a floater after beating Isaiah off of a screen and as Cousins backpedals to stick with Davis, leaving the ballhandler unmarked. Isaiah drives and kicks to Thornton, who misses a three. Isaiah gets the offensive rebound, passes to Thornton, who drives and is fouled. Hits both. 108-97. 1:45 left.

On a switch, Tyreke drives on Quincy Acy (in for Cousins) but misses the bunny. Isaiah misses a secondary break bunny on the other end. 108-97.

Holiday lazily dribbles near midcourt. Acy sprints over to trap, no one rotates behind him, Holiday hits Davis under the rim, foul. Either Acy decided to trap unilaterally, or no one else knew what the heck was going on. Davis hits both FTs. Malone calls a timeout. Thornton misses a drive-and-kick three from the corner. 110-97.

Tyreke is called for a carry. (Nostalgia!) Cousins misses a layup on a pretty lazy pick and roll. 110-97.

Roberts drive and kick to Al-Farouq Aminu for a wide-open corner three. Isaiah hits a meaningless three at the buzzer. It is the first field goal scored by the Kings in the final 5:30 of the game. 113-100. Game over.

***

The teams were tied at 92 with about six minutes left. Each team had 11 possessions the rest of the way. The Pelicans scored 21 points in their 11 possessions. The Kings scored eight ... and three of those were on that final three. We're accustomed to ugly defense here in Sacramento. But lord, that was some ugly defense. New Orleans just got consistently easy shots all quarter. Legitimately, Jimmer was the team's best defender in the fourth. Jimmer Fredette. Gay got abused repeatedly, Cousins didn't finish defensive plays, Thompson, Isaiah and Williams left their men open and Thornton was totally Thorntonian. (The wide-open Holiday three off the dribble was the spark that ignited the Pelicans' wildfire.) (I've left McLemore out of it because in his five minutes in the fourth, his guy never took a shot.)

Blake will have some quotes from Malone later this morning. Keep the above in mind when you see how angry Malone was. He had reason to be. That was a pitiful defensive performance in the fourth.

Ty Tuesday: Dealing with Glen Davis and the starting lineup

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In this edition of Ty Tuesday, we take a look at Orlando's rotation, and Tyler proposes a change to the starting lineup.

Each week, Tyler Lashbrook will let loose on whatever Orlando Magic subjects capture his interest. Welcome to Ty Tuesday. - ED

The Orlando Magic, with the recent return of Tobias Harris and the previous return of Glen Davis, have gotten healthier over the course of the 2013/14 season. That's a fantastic development for those of us who watch the team on a nightly basis, but that--plus the oddly-constructed, overall depth at the power forward position--has put coach Jacque Vaughn in a bind with his rotations.

Before the season started, before Harris was out for the first month-plus, and before Davis returned from injury, I proposed starting Andrew Nicholson at power forward. But with Harris getting the nod as the team's starting small forward the last three games and with his diverse, potentially great offensive game, it's reasonable to believe that the franchise might value Harris' long-term potential over Nicholson's. With that in mind, I propose that Harris replaces Davis as the team's starting power forward and Davis serves as an undersized, back-up center.

Harris has played admirably in a starting role, averaging 16.3 points, seven rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 42.1 percent shooting from the field--on par with his averages at the end of last season. He looks, early, like he's capable as a starting small forward both on offense and defense--unless he's chasing guys around screens. But he's a match up nightmare as a power forward and that's where he gives opponents the most problems. This was most noticeable late in the Sacramento Kings game Saturday night. At the 2:05 mark of this video, Harris blows by Jason Thompson, a slow-footed, traditional power forward, for an and-one layup.

That's the kind of problem he can give defenses when he's lined up at the four. He has a solid handle, he's quicker than most big men, and he has range to the three-point line. In other words: traditional power forwards really can't guard him. He isn't quite good enough as a spot-up shooter to play small forward full time, but that (small) issue isn't as big of deal if he's playing as a stretch power forward. There, he doesn't have to shoot the ball like Ryan Anderson to be a problem; he just needs to shoot well enough to keep defenses honest, which he does.

Arron Afflalo--with Victor Oladipo moving back as the starting shooting guard--or Maurice Harkless can then fill the vacant small-forward position. Neither option is sexy, but it's the best the Magic can do with limited traditional swingmen. Harkless has plateaued a bit in his second season, but as a rookie his net rating was nearly 10 points better when playing alongside Harris, according to NBA.com's media stats site. Oladipo is always an option too--out of all two-man Magic lineups to play at least 150 minutes, only nine have a positive net-rating. The Oladipo-Jameer Nelson pairing is one of those lineups, with a plus-one rating, again according to NBA.com.

Davis and Nicholson are also one of those two-man lineups with a plus-two rating. There are a lot of factors in how these lineups work, but the telling part to the Davis-Nicholson pairing is that Davis, in that lineup, serves as the center, because Nicholson, obviously, isn't a small forward. According to 82games.com's lineup data, Davis has registered a PER of 15 when he plays as the five. That PER dips to 12.1 when he plays power forward. In addition, Davis has actually played better defense as a center. As a power forward, opponents post a 19.6 PER against him, but that number dips to 12.5 when Davis is lined up against centers. The league's power forwards are becoming more skilled and more perimeter-oriented: Davis just isn't athletic enough to effectively defend most of them. Centers, on the other hand. are still less mobile and less able to make plays on the outside: Davis, as a large, wide, strong man, has just the right skill-set to counter those larger, slower opponents. Two other solutions are trading Davis or simply not playing him.

The league's power forwards are becoming more skilled and more perimeter-oriented: Davis just isn't athletic enough to effectively defend most of them.

Trading Davis for almost anything besides another power forward would free up a lot of minutes for Orlando's young guys: he's eating up 31.4 minutes of playing time this year. That's 31.4 minutes a game that Vaughn could spread to Harris, Nicholson, Kyle O'Quinn, and even Harkless in certain smaller lineups. But trading him is a lot trickier than one would think. His $6.4 million contract is pricey for what Davis brings and it's tough to find teams around the league with similar contract match-ups that would want an undersized, defensive-minded, reserve forward-center who's owed $13 million over two years. That contract does become the coveted expiring deal in 2014/15, so maybe a team takes that fact into account. But finding the right trade partner will be quite the challenge for Orlando. The Magic might have to give up more than they want in order to trade Davis: he's not a sweetener, but rather the guy Orlando would dump on a team if it had to give up a sexier asset.

With that said, there's almost no way you can simply not play Davis. He shouldn't be playing 31 minutes a night--not with the young stable of power forwards at Orlando's disposal--but he isn't the kind of guy to spell a minute or there. He's an average mid-range shooter, a willing defender and a capable rebounder--Vaughn almost has to play him because he isn't bad enough to not play. On some nights, like a courageous effort he put forth against the New York Knicks on Monday, Davis can be quite a delightful contributor. That's what makes sliding him over to a full-time reserve center so intriguing. Orlando would be forced to play small with him manning the five spot, but he can defend centers and rebound, and his round-mound bully ball is a nice complement to Nicholson's rangy offensive game. Plus, he'd still get playing time as a backup center--maybe not 31 minutes a night, but the Magic would be better in the long run to give those minutes to young guys.

This is where Orlando's roster fluidity comes into play. It doesn't really have a selection of small forwards, but it does have guys who can slide there. Starting Harris next to Nik Vučević and pairing Nicholson with Davis on the bench means that Harris can simply slide to the small forward spot when Nicholson and Davis are in. Harris is skilled enough, as he's shown, to play on the wing, so starting him at power forward doesn't take away from his ability to play small forward; it just tilts his minutes from small forward to power forward, where he's more dangerous. And if Harris is struggling or in foul trouble, Afflalo has the ability to jump up to small forward.

With so many guys fighting to play one position, there really is no easy answer to Orlando's rotation. Vaughn hasn't yet found a consistent rotation and he hasn't really put guys into set roles, but that's much easier said than done with the Magic's roster construction. Add in that you still have to get guys to buy into less playing time and different roles, and it's a really tricky situation. There's no way to tell how Davis would actually accept becoming a reserve guy on a rebuilding team and that's a reason why Vaughn's job is so difficult. I'm glad I don't have to do it.

Michael Malone airs his grievances after another Kings loss

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In true Festivus fashion, Michael Malone aired his grievances about his team's effort following Monday's loss to Tyreke Evans and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Monday was one of those nights that's happening far too often this season for the Sacramento Kings - turnovers and lapses on defense pile up and overtake any momentum the team takes into the fourth quarter, resulting in a loss.

After the 113-100 loss to Tyreke Evans and the New Orleans Pelicans, the Kings now find themselves sitting at 8-19 and at the bottom of the Pacific division by far (the Lakers are 13-15). Head coach Michael Malone's frustration boiled over after the loss and in true Festivus form, he was not shy about airing his grievances.

"It's the same problem every night, I guess we gotta get some better players who can contain the basketball because right now, we can't," Malone said. "We're a bad basketball team, that's the bottom line."

Ouch. And it didn't stop there.

"I can't control the turnovers, I can't make the passes for them. At some point, these guys have got to take responsibility. Plenty of times this season I've put it on me and I'll do that, but I'll tell you what, each guy in that locker room has got to start looking in the mirror and owning up and taking responsibility for their play, and we don't have a lot of that right now," Malone continued.

Harsh, but true words. The Kings had 22 turnovers, 15 assists and couldn't stop anyone. As Tom pointed out earlier, the defense in the fourth quarter Monday night was atrocious, allowing 36 points.

Not stopping the ball has been a common theme this season, especially with any team's opposing guards. Opponents are shooting 40 percent from three on the Kings (47 percent overall) and they are allowing guys like Kyle Korver, who is a great shooter and shouldn't be left wide open, to match career highs in number of threes made. Earlier this month, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry combined for 64 points against the Kings' backcourt on 13-19 shooting from three.

On Monday, it wasn't a jump shooter that was torching them on defense; it was former King Tyreke Evans who looked like the Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans we all once knew here in Sacramento. He was slashing to the lane and getting to the basket at will on his way to 25 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

"I knew they didn't have any shot blockers so I was going to attack every chance I get," Evans told reporters after the game. "I heard Isaiah [Thomas] when I got the ball telling the guy what I was going to do, I did the same thing and still got to the basket."

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Evans had himself a night and also had fond things to say about Sacramento, Kings fans and how there was nothing personal between him and the organization. But it was obvious he was out to prove something, and the Kings gave him a key to the door.

Even Pelicans center Anthony Davis was surprised at how easily Evans was able to do whatever he wanted on his way to the basket.

"They kept giving him open lanes, which I don't know how, they played with him the year before," Davis said.

If there is something positive to take out of all of this, it is the fact that the comments made by Malone after the game about the areas that need improving were very similar to what DeMarcus Cousins had to say, which shows there is some alignment of thinking there.

Cousins (who finished with 24 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks) pointed to the total turnovers and allowing the Pelicans to convert off those turnovers. He also highlighted the number of points allowed in the fourth quarter (36), which is what Malone harped on in his post-game press conference.

And like Malone, Cousins seemed to have a tipping point with the rest of the team.

"It's the same s*** every night, I mean we break down defensively, we don't talk," a frustrated Cousins said.

When pressed further, Cousins said, "I won't say it's effort, but it's an excuse, ‘well this man didn't do that, so I couldn't do that' - it's excuses. Guard your man, do your f******* job."

And there it is. Two of the most important pieces of this franchise, the coach and the best player, aired their grievances.

Malone surely hasn't been able to be the agent of change and turn the defense around like he had hoped this season. So hopefully this Festivus ignites some sort of change amongst the players, and they begin buying in to the defensive principles Malone wants his team to play with.

Things don't get any easier on Friday when the Miami Heat come to town.

"My challenge to these guys is who do we want to be? Are we just going to be a team that wins once in a blue moon and comes out here and puts on a performance like that [Monday's loss]? I don't know," Malone said.

Here is Malone's entire press conference, captured by News10Sean.

The losses hurt, but it's better for the long-term than the Kings are bad right now

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Patience is hard, but there could be worse things than a bad Kings team.

It turns out that watching the Kings lose most of their games wasn't hard only because relocation threats hung over the city or only because the Maloofs woefully mismanaged the team or only because the team lacked any semblance of a plan. Watching the Kings lose still hurts, even though the team is staying in Sacramento, even though we have a great new owner for the franchise and even though there's a clear plan. We've lost so much that the bruises remain tender; they've never healed. This team is going to give us an eighth straight losing season; the Kings will likely be one of the league's worst six teams for the sixth straight season.

It sucks. But it's better the Kings stink again now than later.

When the Kings get good, we want it to be a long stretch of good, not a flash in the plan. We want Spurs excellence, not We Believe era Warriors excellence. When Sacramento makes the leap from embarrassment to relevant, from loser to contender, we want it to last for years and years. The Spurs have had one bad season in the last 20. That sounds nice, right?

You do that by taking your lumps and building. One trade, one move, one signing isn't the spark. It's the collection of the moves that matters. Draft picks matter. We can talk about tanking all day, but nothing changes the fact that a) stars rule this league and b) most stars are taken rather high in the draft. We can talk about tanking all day, but nothing changes the fact that they lower you pick, the less your likelihood of picking up a starter. These are just facts.

The Kings don't need to tank because they are losing just fine trying to win every game. That's a non-starter: this team isn't good enough to make a conscious decision to lose. It will lose regardless, because the shooting is really inconsistent, the defense is consistently awful and the team's depth looks pretty fake. (Fake depth is something we've talked about a lot: the roster looks deep because the guys on the bench aren't much worse than the guys in the starting five. But that's because some of the guys in the starting lineup aren't very good!)

We all know what the Kings need most: a defensive wing who helps share the ball, a shotblocking big man, some quality depth at power forward, some consistency at shooting guard. The current Kings playing better wouldn't make a winning team. Outside help is needed. The moves that Pete D'Alessandro has made to date have helped other problems, particularly with having at least an average player at small forward. Over the next couple of years, we think Ben McLemore will provide that consistency at shooting guard. Carl Landry might prove to be the quality depth needed at power forward; maybe Quincy Acy fits the bill, too. But Pete's not done, and the Kings aren't ready yet.

Adding that draft pick in June will surely help the progress over the long term. We don't want to rent success. D'Alessandro could probably make some deals to mortgage the team's future for more wins now. Remember when the desperate Nets, hoping to make a playoff run, traded a slightly protected first for Gerald Wallace a few years ago? How'd that work out? That's why I'm not going to complain too much about the losses: I care more about winning for a long time than I care about winning now.

That doesn't mean I won't -- or that we shouldn't -- complain about the state of the team, especially the defense. Hopefully this break in action gets the new Kings (especially Rudy Gay) on board with the team defense, and allows the incumbent Kings (cough cough Marcus Thornton and Jason Thompson cough cough) to brush up. I don't mind the losses because I understand the long view. But I'd still prefer not to see tied games turn into blowouts in the blink of an eye. And I really don't want to see our new coach's head pop off his neck during a postgame presser.

DeMarcus Cousins is Playing at an All-Star Level

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The Kings' mercurial big man is playing at a level matched only by the greats, and yet he could still miss out on an All-Star appearance.

This Kings season has had more downs than ups but there is one exceedingly bright spot and that is the ever improving play of DeMarcus Cousins.

Back in June, I wrote an article exploring whether or not Cousins was worth a max extension. In the poll attached to the article, 60% of almost 2000 voters said that they did not think he was. I myself never voted in the poll because I was too conflicted. On the one hand, Cousins talent is obvious and doesn't come along very often. On the other, his play hadn't yet warranted a max extension yet. I didn't particularly care about the attitude issues and all that other baggage; I was more worried by the fact that he was an inefficient, volume shooter who forced a lot of shots and didn't play much defense.

This year though, Cousins has blossomed. He and new coach Michael Malone seem to get along well, and Malone has put him in a position to take advantage of his strengths. Cousins, for his part, is making the most of his opportunities. He's scoring at a relatively efficient rate (for someone who doesn't shoot threes), rebounding like crazy and passing like the Kings big men of old.

The biggest change for Cousins is where he's getting his shots. Malone is featuring Cousins in the low post, and it's resulting in better opportunities, which means a better chance of scoring. Here's Cousins shot distribution chart for 2013-14:

Shotchart_1388076377247_medium

Here's 2012-13:

Shotchart_1388076443301_medium

This year, almost 69% of his shots are coming at the rim, compared to 62.5% last year. That's coming at the expense of 16-23 footers, something Cousins can hit but is far less likely to go in than an attempt at the rim. Rim attempts also equal more potential fouls and free throw attempts. His Free Throw rate has jumped a full 10% from last year, from 40.8% to 51.2%. That means that for every two field goals Cousins shoots, he shoots just over 1 free throw.

NBA.com's SportsVU also lets us know that Cousins is among the best per possession scorers in the league. Currently, he's averaging 35.44 points per 100 team possessions, which is good enough for 2nd best to Kevin Durant's 35.86. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Paul George round out the top 5. That's good company.

MySynergySports shows us that Cousins is scoring best when he's posting up. Post-Ups account for almost 37.8% of his possessions, and he's scoring about 0.92 points per possession on post-ups, good for 26th in the league. He's also done well on Pick & Rolls (0.95 PPP or 54th in the league), offensive put-backs (1.12 PPP or 21st in the league) and Cuts (1.26 PPP or 40th in the league).

Cousins' defense has also improved, at least on an individual level (his team defense, along with almost the entire Kings roster, leaves a lot to be desired). In one-on-one situations, Cousins is more than holding his own. MySynergySports has Cousins allowing just 0.79 points per possession overall, good for 69th. Just like on offense, he's particularly good against Post-ups, which he sees about 45.4% of the time. Against post-ups, Cousins is allowing a paltry 0.68 PPP, and 41% from the field. That's good enough for 14th overall.

Cousins has also upped his defensive rebounding, grabbing 30.2% of all available defensive boards when he's in the game, good for 3rd in the league. His offensive rebounding has slipped a little bit (just a little, 10.3% from 10.9%), but I think that there's a small correlation between that and the fact that he's hitting more of his shots. In the past it seemed that quite a few of his offensive boards were off his own misses.

Cousins is quickly becoming one of the best passing big men in the league as well, with an assist rate of 20.2%, a jump from 15.3% last year. Only Josh McRoberts (23.3%) and Kevin Love (20.8%) can boast higher assist rates among big men (Marc Gasol would make the list at 21.4% but he has played just 13 games). Cousins is doing a phenomenal job of finding the open man or cutter when he gets doubled, and that should even increase as the team gets more chemistry with eachother.

By all statistical measures, DeMarcus Cousins is playing at an All-Star level. His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 26.6 is currently good enough for 6th in the league. Only 28 players in the league's history have attained that high of a PER. The only ones among them that did not make the All-Star game were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1978 (broken hand kept him out most of the first part of the season) and Shaquille O'Neal in 1999 (no All-Star game due to lockout). Even when dropping the benchmark to 24.9, you only add Karl Malone and David Robinson, also in 1999 where there was no All-Star game.

Should Cousins keep playing at this rate, he should merit All-Star attention, but I can't help but think that both his reputation and the fact that the Kings are a bad team will keep him off of it. 12 players get named to the team and there are almost that many who will be locks in the West: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Dirk Nowitzki. Barring injury, that would leave Cousins with just two chances to make the team, battling the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, and Anthony Davis.

Regardless of whether or not Cousins make the All-Star game though, Kings fans should be very happy with the progress he has made this season as a player, especially considering the fact that he's just 23 with his prime a few years away. Cousins has become a legitimate franchise big man, and faster than I expected. There's still a lot he can improve upon, which is frankly quite scary considering how good he already is.

Keep up the good work, big fella.


HHH Gametime Preview: Miami Heat continue West road trip, visit the Sacramento Kings

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The Kings will seek revenge on their home floor and the Heat will want to keep their six game winning streak going but will Wade play?

One week after a 122-103 victory at the Heat's house, Miami travels to Sacramento for a rematch with the Kings at Sleep Train Arena.

The Heat, 22-6 overall, and winners of their last 6, are coming off a Christmas Day victory against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of a four game West coast road trip.

The Kings, meanwhile, enter today's contest sporting a record of 8-17 and have lost 4 of 5, including a 113-110 loss to the Pelicans at home on Monday night.

When these two teams met a week ago, the Heat shot an astounding 61.4% from the floor, including a 28-43 for 63 points out of the Big 3. Not to be outdone, Ray Allen chipped in 18 on 8-13 shooting off the bench.

On the Sacramento side of things, the Kings were unable to use their size to their advantage, getting outrebounded by Miami 39-32. DeMarcus Cousins was able to do whatever he wanted inside, finishing with 27 points on 11-15 shooting, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, but it wasn't enough to overcome 20 turnovers.

Speaking of turnovers, lets just say that the last game wasn't Rudy Gay's finest. Gay finished with 14 points on 7-13 shooting, which is actually quite good, but he turned the ball over 7 times, and managed to finish the game a -24 in terms of +/-, easily the worst mark on his team.

These two teams are relatively similar in terms of their play style - the Kings rank 16th in the league in terms of pace, while the Heat rank 18th. The primary difference, outside of the whole "Miami has two top 10 players and Sacramento doesn't" thing, is defense. The Heat rank 8th in the NBA, allowing 100.4 points per 100 possessions, while the Kings rank 28th, allowing 106.6. The Heat are also superior in terms of their offensive efficiency, scoring 7.3 more points per 100 possessions than Sacramento.

The 20 turnovers committed by the Kings last week were actually uncharacteristic of this team, as the Kings rank 8th in the NBA in turnover rate, so we shouldn't expect to see them post a number that poor again.

Although this has not been made official yet, Heat Nation should not expect Dwyane Wade to play against the Kings, as this is the first game of a road back to back with the second game being against the Portland Trail Blazers, who have established themselves as one of the league's top teams. It just seems logical for Coach Spo to sit Wade against Sacramento and save him for Portland.

For more on the Kings, check out Sactown Royalty.

Kings vs. Heat preview: How Sacramento can win

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The Kings get Miami again. Oh boy.

The Kings played the Heat in Miami last week, and it did not go well. The Heat are in Sacramento to face the Kings on Friday (7 p.m. Pacific, News10). Will it go well? Ha, probably not. So in lieu of a traditional preview, here's a list of of ways in which the Kings could conceivably win.

1. LeBron James eats a bad cheeseburger.

2. LeBron James is entranced by the Red Rabbit and refuses to leave the new terminal at the Sacramento International Airport.

3. An agent of Kings ownership pays Erik Spoelstra under the table to sabotage the Heat. The payment is in cases of Crystal Pepsi, which Mark Mastrov has hoarded for decades.

4. Shaq blows an airhorn directly into every Miami huddle, eventually rendering the Heat and anyone sitting near the Heat bench medically deaf.

5. David Stern institutes Rock 'n Jock Rules, and we learn that Rudy Gay is particularly good at 10-point shots. #efficiency

6. Erik Spoelstra, in an attempt to capture the Popovich zeitgeist, benches LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. News10 officials smolder.

7. The Heat find out Sean Cunningham of News10 is hosting the Sactown Royalty game thread and immediately concede.

8. DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas have awesome games, Rudy Gay is great and the Kings win fair and square. (Mwahaha!)

9. LeBron James goes 0-34 from the field as the Sacramento crowd holds up myriad Skip Bayless faces, a la Peja on a stick. A meteor then strikes Sacramento as cosmic punishment. BUT WE GOT THE WIN.

Enjoy the game, friends!

Kings vs. Heat Fan Predictions

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It's Prediction Time!

Link to The Leaderboard

Below are a series of prediction questions for tonight's game. The first four questions will be asked every game, while the 5th will change each game.

Point value for predictions are listed next to the questions. If you believe that more than one player will lead a category, you can vote for multiple players, and this is worth double points if you are correct, but zero if you are wrong. Alternately, if you only guess one player when multiple players are tied, you get zero points.

All submissions must be input before tip-off. Any submissions after tip-off will not count. You are allowed only one submission and may not change unless specifically stated.

Questions:

1. Who do you think will win the game, and what will the final score be? (1 point for guessing winner. 2 points for guessing winner and correct score of one team. 5 points for guessing winner and exact score)

2. Who will be the game's leading scorer? (1 point for guessing scorer, 2 points for guessing exact points scored)

3. Who will be the game's leading rebounder? (1 point for guessing rebounder, 2 points for guessing exact rebounds)

4. Who will be the game's leading assist man? (1 point for guessing assist man, 2 points for guessing exact assists)

5. Last year Mario Chalmer's tied the arena record with 10 made threes. Predict his 3PM and 3PA tonight (1 point for one right answer, 3 points for two right)

6. Predict LeBron/Bosh/Wade's combined Points, Rebounds and Assists (1 point for one right answer, 3 points for two right, 5 points for all right)

NBA schedule: Kings top Heat in OT

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DeMarcus Cousins had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Kings over LeBron James and the Heat 108-103 in overtime in Sacramento on Friday night.

The NBA schedule this Friday is a little weak after a rare four-game set on Thursday delivered plenty of drama. But while the schedule is a bit lacking in terms of high-profile matchups, there still are some interesting games to watch. The best game of the night comes out West, where two run-and-gun squads will meet at Oracle Arena.

The main course: Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors

10:30 p.m. ET

The Phoenix Suns are the biggest surprise in the NBA, boasting a record of 17-10 that's good for sixth in the tough Western Conference. The Suns are on an absolute roll heading into Oracle Arena, winners of three in a row and eight of nine. That includes a 106-102 victory over the Warriors just two weeks ago.

In that game, Eric Bledsoe tallied 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Goran Dragic, Bledsoe's backcourt partner, added 21 points and Channing Frye had 20. The Suns gave the Warriors some of their own medicine, nailing 13 treys and overcoming 30 points from Stephen Curry.

Since losing that game, the Warriors have gotten Andre Iguodala back and have won four of their last five. That includes an impressive 105-103 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Christmas Day, a game that featured plenty of fireworks with the ejections of Draymond Green and Blake Griffin.

This Suns/Warriors matchup should be plenty of fun. Both teams are in the top half of the league in pace, and both squads love shooting the three. Golden State leads the league in three-point percentage and is third in makes per game, while Phoenix is second in makes per game and fifth in percentage.

The appetizer: Washington Wizards at Minnesota Timberwolves

8 p.m. ET, NBA TV

Both the Wizards and Timberwolves are under .500, but this one should definitely be worth watching. This is the second of two matchups this season, with Washington winning the first 104-100 on 14 points and 16 assists from John Wall.

The Wizards haven't played since Saturday and are looking to finish a perfect four-game road trip. The Timberwolves have been off since Sunday and have lost two straight as they continue to underachieve despite the continued strong play of Kevin Love.

Minnesota's last loss was a perfect example of this. Love had 45 points and 19 rebounds and had the Wolves on the verge of a big road win over the Clippers, but a late collapse sent the game to overtime. Los Angeles then won after Nikola Pekovic missed a bunny in the final seconds.

The rest of the games (all times Eastern)

Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Bobcats, 7 p.m.

Detroit Pistons at Orlando Magic, 7 p.m.

Milwaukee Bucks at Brooklyn Nets, 7 p.m.

Toronto Raptors at New York Knicks, 7:30 p.m.

Denver Nuggets at New Orleans Pelicans, 8 p.m.

Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz, 9 p.m.

Miami Heat at Sacramento Kings, 10 p.m.

More from SB Nation NBA:

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Question of the Game: Isaiah Thomas

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Have a question for Isaiah Thomas? Leave it in this thread and it may get answered tonight after the Kings take on the Miami Heat.

Today's Question of the Game is for the Hustlin' Husky, Isaiah Thomas.

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.

Make sure to keep it to one question unless you have two questions that tie in together.

The 5'9'' Thomas is averaging 18.9 points, 5.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds a game this season.

So leave your question for the Pizza Guy in this thread and start pressing those rec buttons!

Kings stun the Heat in Overtime, win 108 to 103

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The Kings stormed back from a 17 point deficit by tightening up their defense and getting huge games from Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas.



The Sacramento Kings got an extremely unlikely victory in their last home game of 2013, beating the Miami Heat 108 to 103 in overtime.  Miami was shorthanded, playing without Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen or Chris Andersen, but this was still an impressive victory for a Kings team that had been struggling of late.

Sacramento found themselves trailing by as many as 17 points early in the game in what looked like just another blowout loss.  Instead, the Kings tightened the screws big time on defense and held Miami to increasingly lower point totals in each quarter.

LeBron James was nearly unstoppable for Miami early, but the Kings did hold him to just 5 points in the second half of regulation.  LeBron finished with 33 points, 8 assists and 8 rebounds for a near triple-double.

Sacramento got a huge performance from DeMarcus Cousins, who tallied 27 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.  He kept his cool after earning one technical foul and he also managed to not pick up his sixth foul in overtime.

Rudy Gay was instrumental in carrying the Kings back into the game.  He started off missing most of his shots, but finished with 26 points on 11-19 shooting.  He hit the shot that tied the game to end regulation, and also played solid defense on LeBron James down the stretch.

Isaiah Thomas was fantastic throughout the game, scoring 22 points to go with 11 assists and 7 rebounds.

The Kings will next head to San Antonio to face the Spurs on Sunday.

We'll have a full recap of the game tomorrow. For the Heat perspective, visit Hot Hot Hoops

Heat fall in OT to Kings, snap Western Conference winning streak

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Miami's 19-game winning streak against the Western Conference, the longest such streak in the NBA in 40 years, was snapped Friday night in Sacramento.

The Miami Heat went nearly a full calendar year without losing to a Western Conference team, but saw that streak end at the hands of the Sacramento Kings on Friday night. DeMarcus Cousins scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Kings to a 108-103 win in overtime at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.

More game coverage: Sactown RoyaltyHot Hot Hoops

The Heat had won 19 consecutive games against Western Conference foes, one shy of the NBA record by an Eastern Conference team. The Celtics won 20 straight games against the west in the 1972-73 and 1973-74 seasons. Before Friday night, the last loss for Miami against a Western Conference for was January 14, 2013 against the Jazz.

LeBron James had 33 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to lead Miami, but missed a three-pointer at the end of regulation that would have won the game for the Heat. James said after the game he strained his right groin, per USA Today's Sam Amick, and was unsure whether he would play in a game Saturday against the Blazers. "We'll see how it feels," James said, per Amick.

Isaiah Thomas had 22 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in the win, and Rudy Gay added 26 points for the Kings (9-19), who overcame a 17-point deficit for their second win in their last 20 games against the Heat.

More from SB Nation NBA:

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LeBron suffers strained groin during Heat loss to Kings, questionable for Trail Blazers game

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The Miami Heat had several chances to win on the road against the Sacramento Kings but had no answers for DeMarcus Cousins and Isaiah Thomas down the stretch.

The Miami Heat's six game win streak is over. So is their 19 game streak against Western Conference teams, as well as their 10 game streak against the Sacramento Kings with their highly disappointing 108-103 loss in overtime.

In their second game of their road trip out West, the Heat were just a game behind the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference standings and facing what appeared to be a winnable game against one of the worst teams in the NBA record-wise. They were shorthanded however with Dwyane Wade, Chris Andersen and Ray Allen all out for tonight's game.

The Heat raced out to a sizable lead from the outset but the home team surged back on the strength of DeMarcus Cousins who finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds and 5 impressive assists that led to easy baskets. There's no doubt that Birdman would have done his best to try to contain Cousins from having that kind of production while also providing the Heat with another offensive option down low to occupy the talented Kings big man. But none of that mattered on a night where time and time again he responded down the stretch with a midrange jumper, a layup off an offensive rebound or hitting clutch free throws.

Rudy Gay sure loves to shoot and this time he was actually efficient at it, hitting more than his share of timely jumpers in the second half (which LeBron wasn't able to match) and the newcomer to the team finished one point behind Cousins for the team lead. The 5'8" point guard Isaiah Thomas brings heart and plenty of hustle for this team in wins or losses and he had a complete game tonight with 22 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds.

The Heat began the game shooting extremely well from the line but missed several important free throws in the final quarter. Mario Chalmers initiated contact with Cousins to earn a flagrant foul that ended up yielding four points for the Kings in the closing moments of the game. With Wade out, the champs really needed the best from LeBron and this night he couldn't come through, settling for long jumpers and enduring some bad luck on a few plays that could have swung Miami's way.

The Kings raced out to a quick lead in the overtime period and while LeBron gave a sliver of hope with three late three-pointers that the Heat could somehow catch up and force a second overtime were dashed quickly.

Even worse, LeBron was limping noticeably by the end of the game and it is now being reported that at some point in the game, possibly in the second quarter, he suffered a strained right groin injury. His status for the Heat's next game against the Portland Trail Blazers is now questionable.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Miami Heat Preview

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The Miami Heat bring the league's best-shooting offense into Portland behind the strong play of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Can LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and the rest of the Blazers overcome recent shooting struggles and take out the NBA's defending champs?

Saturday, December 28
Moda Center; Portland, OR | 7:00 p.m. PST | Local TV/Radio: KGWHD; 620 AM
Out for the Blazers: C.J. McCollum | Out for the Heat: Greg Oden, Ray Allen (day-to-day), Chris Andersen (day-to-day), Dwyane Wade (questionable), LeBron James (groin strain, uncertain)

The Miami Heat come into the Moda Center tonight after winning eight of ten games to face the Blazers and unfortunately, Heat center Greg Oden will not be making an appearance.

Miami is playing on the second night of a back-to-back set that kicked off with an overtime loss in Sacramento last night, but center Chris Andersen and guards Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade all sat out nursing various ailments. All three played a few nights ago against the Lakers, but only Wade is likely to return tonight as the injury statuses of Andersen and Allen remain "day-to-day."

James and Wade have been scoring ridiculously efficiently lately, both hitting over 60 percent of their field-goal attempts in their last several games. Both are elite finishers, with James converting on over 80 percent of his attempts at the hoop this season and Wade not far behind at about 73 percent at the rim. Big man Chris Bosh is in on the paint-scoring action this season, too, connecting on almost 69 percent of his shots inside.

Needless to say, the Heat like to attack the basket. If you've been following the Blazers at all this season, you know that preventing opponents from scoring inside has been tough with coach Terry Stotts placing more emphasis on preventing opponents from beating his team from the outside -- so far the strategy has been successful, as Portland sits at 24-5 and allows fewer outside attempts per game than any other team in the league.

Tonight, the Blazers might have to shift the focus a little more to the middle, because Miami's most willing outside shooter is Allen, who will likely miss the game. He attempts more threes than any other Heat player with four per contest, contrasting with Portland's outside-shooting arsenal that features four players who take more deep shots than Allen, Miami's leader in three-pointers attempted.

The Heat take an average amount of threes and have some good outside shooters in Wade and point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole -- James and veteran forwards Shane Battier and Rashard Lewis have all been slumping from deep the last couple weeks -- but they are definitely the most efficient team in the NBA from within the arc. Miami attempts fewer field-goals than any team in the league but makes more than all but four teams and outscores all but five of them on a nightly basis. Essentially, The Heat don't take a lot of shots, but they convert on them more efficiently than anyone.

James gets his points almost every game regardless of the opponent, and even on his worst nights he still usually hits about half his shots. When Wade and Bosh's scoring opportunities are tampered, though, the Heat are much more beatable, even if James goes off. Still, Miami has only lost seven games this year, so there's no proven blueprint to consistently beat them even with various rotation players dinged-up all season.

The Heat's main weakness is on the boards. They're a predictably poor offensive-rebounding team because they have fewer opportunities for rebounds on that end than any team in the league, but they also struggle to secure opponents' misses, as well. The Blazers, on the other hand, grab their own misses better than almost anyone and should also be able to grab a lot of the shots that don't fall for the Heat. Miami loses the battle on the glass almost every game, but if they're removed from the defensive boards, the Heat's chances of winning decrease dramatically. The same could be said for most teams, but offensive-rebounding is a huge strength of the Blazers and Miami can be bullied on the defensive-glass, so it should be a point of emphasis for Portland tonight.

Lately, only center Robin Lopez has shot well for the Blazers. Point guard Damian Lillard, wings Wesley Matthews and Nicolas Batum and backup forward Dorell Wright have all shot pretty poorly the last stretch of games. Guard Mo Williams and forward LaMarcus Aldridge have really seen their shooting percentages in the tank as of late, even as Portland's won seven of its last eight games. The Blazers have gotten by on volume shooting by Lillard and Aldridge, with timely contributions from Matthews, Batum, Williams and Lopez. Portland has also gotten a nice chunk of points at the line, as the team's ball-handlers have been aggressive lately drawing fouls, a good plan considering the Blazers are one of the most accurate free-throw shooting teams in the league. Miami doesn't send opponents to the line particularly often, but they'll likely be tired for tonight's game after going to overtime in Sacramento yesterday and fatigue might force them into fouling Portland's shooters more often.

The Blazers' three-point shooting barrage has cooled off considerably the last five games, with Lillard's 43.8 outside-shooting percentage the highest on the team. The next best conversion rate from deep for Portland is the 33.3 percent shared by Matthews and Wright, followed by Williams at 32 percent and Batum at 30.6 percent. Still, by sheer volume of attempts, the Blazers manage to make more threes than any team in the NBA, even with all but Lillard's deep-shooting slumping in recent weeks. Opposing teams have been launching three-pointers against Miami lately, so don't be surprised to see Portland's outside attempts total climb well into the thirties tonight.

Even if the Blazers underperform in three-point conversion, Portland's offense features enough deep threats that Miami coach Erik Spoelstra will still have to emphasize defense of the perimeter, which could open up lanes for Lillard and Williams to drive aggressively, allowing more space for Aldridge and Lopez to operate down low.

The Heat garner the most steals in the NBA and force more turnovers than anyone. The Blazers hold onto the ball well, but they'll face a huge challenge against Miami's aggressive defense. Turnovers could be a legitimate factor for Portland; On Thursday night, Clippers point guard Chris Paul had six steals by himself in the loss to the Blazers. Wade, Chalmer and James can all rack up steals.

The Heat come into this matchup with a weakened rotation and fresh off of a tough overtime loss to the Kings last night. The Blazers have been playing teams to the last few possessions lately, so expect another game that goes all four quarters -- possibly more, considering the very recent history of both them and the Heat.

If the Blazers control the glass, limit their own turnovers, capitalize on second-chance opportunities and see steady production from their starters, they should have a good shot at knocking out the defending NBA champs tonight. Of course, James has been the league's MVP four of the last five seasons and his reliable contributions from all over the court are all but inevitable at this point. Neutralizing James' teammates -- particularly Wade and Bosh -- would go a long way in helping the home team secure a victory against Miami.

Update: Sam Amick of USA Today reports that James strained his right groin last night against the Kings and isn't sure if he'll be in the lineup tonight against Portland.

-- Chris Lucia | bedgecast@gmail.com | Twitter

P.S. Please check out this post detailing Blazer's Edge Night and how you can help send 1,000 Portland-area youth to the Wizards game on March 20th!

Magic want Kyle O'Quinn to take "the next step"

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The 23-year-old big man has already made big strides since the Magic drafted him in 2012. Now they expect him to improve even more.

On Monday, Orlando Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said that he's "been really challenging" second-year big man Kyle O'Quinn "to start taking the next step in his career."

O'Quinn, the Magic's second-round Draft choice in 2012, has "got some ground to make up," Vaughn said, referring to the fact that the Norfolk State product began playing basketball much later than most professionals do.

"The first time I played seriously and organized was college," O'Quinn said Thursday. He tried out for his high school team in 11th grade and made the squad, but rode the bench that year and didn't see playing time until his senior year.

How can the former Spartan make that "next step"? According to Vaughn, it's pretty simple: "I think he just needs to continue being around the game," the coach said. He highlighted one possession against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday when O'Quinn got an offensive rebound, found himself trapped under the hoop, and then missed a putback layup attempt after offering a few fakes. With more "game experience," Vaughn said, O'Quinn will read such situations better.

Glen Davis, whose locker is adjacent to O'Quinn's, said Thursday that he needs to play more consistently.

"Everybody tries to master it and it's one of the hardest things," Davis said. "The guys that understand and try to get as close to consistency as possible, I think they become great at this game."

O'Quinn's first season-plus as a pro has helped him adjust to the NBA game. "Just being more comfortable on the court," O'Quinn said when asked about where he's made the most improvement in his young career. "The speed of the game, the athleticism, the size of the players overall. Knowing what you gotta do over and over again, I think I've become more comfortable with that."

His teammates have noticed a change as well. Davis addressed that subject.

"He's matured in a way and is establishing himself as a pro," Davis said. "He's got a ways to go, but he's a young guy who didn't start playing basketball until high school." According to Davis, O'Quinn still needs to pick up some "fundamentals" and "little things," but he has confidence that O'Quinn will do so.

"I'm proud of him," Davis said.

Despite his late start and the room for improvement, O'Quinn has already shown great ability as a passer out of the high post. Over the last two seasons, only five centers have a better assist percentage than O'Quinn's mark of 12.3, according to basketball-reference.com figures. O'Quinn has earned Vaughn's trust as a playmaker.

"That just came from me just being a kind of a guy that wants to make everybody around them better."Kyle O'Quinn on developing as a passer

"If I was drawing up an ATO [after timeout play] at the end of the game and had the chance to put him in, he would make the pass," Vaughn said. "He's fearless, and he can really pass the basketball. It's just instinctive."

Davis also trusts O'Quinn to make the right reads as a passer. "He's done a great job of really showing he can pass the ball and get other guys involved," he said.

O'Quinn's mentality helped him develop as a passer. "That just came from me just being a kind of a guy that wants to make everybody around them better. It was just an instinctive thing," O'Quinn said of his playmaking ability. "To stay on the court, you have to do your job. Plus, it also helps if you help the leading scorer get a couple points."

For now, O'Quinn has to scrap with Jason Maxiell for big-man minutes behind Nik Vučević, Davis, and Andrew Nicholson. If Vaughn's remarks Monday are any indication, he'll continue to get plenty of opportunities to prove himself and grow his game.

Goodbye 2013: The end of one era and the beginning of another

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2013 saw the end of Sacramento's seemingly unending relocation drama and the beginning of what will hopefully be a prosperous next chapter for the team, its fans and the city.

There are moments in Kings history that I will never forget:  Horry's shot, Bibby's answer, C-Webb's knee, Christie's punch.

2013 added more to the memory bank, both painful and joyous.  In terms of sheer importance to this franchise, 2013 was the biggest year for Sacramento in the team's history.

I still remember exactly when I heard the Wojnarowski report almost a year ago that the Maloofs were nearing an agreement to sell the team to Seattle-based investors.  It felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.  This wasn't the way it was supposed to end, not after the successful fight against an Anaheim relocation in 2011.  The Maloofs, we had been told, were not ever going to sell the team.  That's the one thing we'd been led to believe about them, even after all the other betrayals.  Alas, the team wasn't for sale until it was, and nobody in Sacramento was offering anywhere near the money that Seattle was.

I'll be honest.  My faith was shaken for a little bit there.  I remember on Jan. 21st, 2013 when the sale was officially announced, I was driving back up from Los Angeles where I had been visiting a friend.  It was a long car ride.  I just couldn't believe it was happening.  I spent much of the ride trying to call everyone and anyone who had inside info on what the outlook for us was and the vibe I got from almost everyone I called was "It's not looking good".

But we weren't going to just lie down and take it.  If the Kings were really leaving, if they were really going to become the new Seattle Supersonics, we weren't going to just let them go without a fight.

Mayor Kevin Johnson and David Stern were the big heroes here: Johnson for being the leader of the effort in Sacramento, and Stern for allowing us a chance at redemption.

It's absolutely incredible what Kevin Johnson was able to do in such a short amount of time.  In mere months, an investor group was found that was willing (and more importantly, capable) of matching Seattle's offer for the team to keep them in Sacramento.  An arena plan, one that was even better for the city than the one the Maloofs reneged on in 2012, was put together and passed by the City Council.  All parts of Sacramento from politicians to local business leaders came forward to show the NBA that Sacramento still cared, that Sacramento was the only home the Kings would ever need.

And in the end we won.  The NBA voted down relocation and the Maloofs sold the team to Vivek Ranadivé's group.

2013 also saw the first time I've ever cried at a basketball game.  The 2013 Home Opener was unreal.  The pre-game festivities had a carnival atmosphere akin to what I would expect to see at an All-Star game.  The opening introductions were about as emotional as you can get at a basketball game, joy compounded with relief, relief that this Kings team, as Vivek said, was our team and here to stay.

We said goodbye to some long time Kings in 2013 as well.  By far the biggest departure was former General Manager Geoff Petrie.  Petrie had been the longest tenured GM in the NBA and was responsible for assembling the greatest teams in Sacramento Kings history.  While I thought it was time for him to go for some time now, I'm thankful for what he did accomplish while he was here and for the memories those teams gave me.

We also saw the departure of former Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans in a sign-and-trade with the New Orleans Pelicans.  Evans was, for better or for worse, one of the Kings best players the last few years and a fun guy to root for.

Looking forward, the Kings future is looking as bright as it's ever been.  DeMarcus Cousins has legitimately turned into one of the best big men in the NBA and is still years away from his prime.  Isaiah Thomas continues to show that height can't match heart.  Ben McLemore is raw but shows flashes of star potential.  The Kings new front office, led by Pete D'Alessandro, is making bold moves like acquiring Derrick Williams and Rudy Gay.  Another top draft pick is likely on its way in June.  Barring a potential ballot measure, a new downtown arena could see its groundbreaking in 2014.

2013 was a huge year for Sacramento.  Here's to 2014 and the next 35 years being just as big.

Jason Thompson seems totally over the Kings

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And I don't really blame him.

Tom Moore of the Bucks County Courier Times, a suburban Philly paper, talked to Jason Thompson this week about the power forward's history and current status in Sacramento. And once again, it's pretty apparent that Thompson is not terribly enthused with remaining with the Kings.

"Man, it's been tough," said Thompson in a telephone conversation from Houston on Tuesday, where Sacramento was preparing to play that evening. "For me, it's kind of the same stuff that happens every year - new coach, new system, new players."

"It's kind of tough because usually the most consistent players and teams have guys that have been together for a long period of time and around the same system," Thompson said. "Every year, I'm used differently."

Thompson also rattles off statistics about how many different teammates he's had (63) and notes that not a single person from the Kings' front office that drafted him remains. He's basically built a case in his mind as to why he should be disappointed with how his first team treated him.

And he's totally right.

Why should he think he'll benefit from the rebirth of the franchise? Pete D'Alessandro went out and signed Carl Landry, a guy Thompson had already survived in the rotation! Thompson's name has been laced all over trade rumors from the start, and the team invested heavily in DeMarcus Cousins immediately. Cousins openly longed for old batterymate Samuel Dalembert over the summer, and Cousins and Thompson seem relatively incompatible as a good frontcourt.

Thompson is right if he thinks he's not long for the Kings, and nothing he's saying or implying is inaccurate. The franchise was horribly mismanaged for the majority of his career. I'd be upset and ready for a fresh start, too, especially if the ballyhooed new bosses cut my minutes and touches.

That said, I really wish there were a way Thompson could compartmentalize his disappointment with the team and his situation and not let it carry over onto the court. I've been a Thompson fan all along, and he's been dreadful at times this season, especially when it comes to rotating on defense. He just does not seem focused at all. I don't really blame him for it; I just wish it were different and that he was the type of player who could push his emotions aside and focus in on excelling on the court. I fear I'd be in the same boat as him in a similar situation: once you get frustrated enough, it's just whatever. You just go through the motions.

And yes, I know he's getting paid a lot of money to play a game. That doesn't somehow make it less of a job. That doesn't somehow dull the sting of frustration, disappointment and longing for another chance. Really, the best thing for Thompson would have been the Kings declining to keep him in 2012; he could have gotten a fresh start and a neat little chip on his shoulder. But there was no better business decision than to take the Maloofs' money and hope for the best under Keith Smart. Oh well.

Thompson really needs a trade before Landry returns from injury and J.T.'s minutes sink even lower. Can you imagine J.T.'s dejection if the trade deadline passes and he's still a King (assuming the Kings remain a lower-echelon team)?

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