You knew it was going to be a pretty good day after last night.

The Hero of the Hoop City Miracle made an appearance on 92.9's The Chris Vernon Show this morning to talk about last night's incredible comeback win over the Sacramento Kings.

I'd suggest listening to the entire segment as Vernon does a great job of taking back through the transcendental experience that was last night. But for the Courtney Lee interview you can skip to the 44:00 minute mark.

Some of my favorite takeaways:

• The bond that appears to exist, whether because of last night or from previous engagement, between Mike Conley and Courtney Lee. That post-game interview is just absurdly touching. Darn allergies...
• This sentiment is a very strong element of the locker room. Lee mentions his favorite part of this team is the degree to which they have each other's backs.
• Courtney was pretty torn up over missing the game ending shot at Milwaukee last week. Redemption is sweet.
• Lee talks about Dave Joerger's dynamic as a coach and emphasizes how much importance he places on communication. I was already a CDJ fan, and hearing bits like that only fortifies my fandom.

Give it a listen and continue engorging the goosebumps you're still sporting from last night.

Throughout the season, NBA clubs will utilize their D-League affiliates for less experienced players.

There are a multitude of stories to follow coming into the 2014-15 D-League season, but one that always seems to catch attention of fans is how NBA assignees perform when sent to their big league club's respective D-League affiliate. Opening night saw six assigned players earn playing time for four separate D-League clubs. While having an NBA player on one's roster for a short period might seem to be an astronomical advantage, that's not always the case. On Friday night, the Santa Cruz Warriors stood tall as the sole team featuring an NBA assignee (or two) to come away with a victory.

T.J. Warren earns our Top Assignee of the Night.

T.J. Warren - Bakersfield Jam - Phoenix Suns

Warren was the 14th overall pick in this year's NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, and while he was successful in summer league and got some time in preseason, he hasn't had the opportunity with the big club just yet, hence, the assignment to the Jam for opening night. Warren has one quantifiable skill coming into the NBA as a rookie; he can flat out score the basketball. He averaged 24.9 points a game last year for NC State while shooting a blistering 52.5 percent as well.

Friday night Warren was the best player on the court for either team. He got his shot whenever he wanted and didn't have to force anything at all. He was able to score on mid-post face-ups, on drives to the basket, and he showed his range by making a few 3-pointers as well. All in all he finished with 40 points, six rebounds and three assists while shooting 16-27 from the field (including three 3-pointers) and 5-5 from the charity stripe. It's going to be tough for the Suns to find Warren minutes with Gerald Green and P.J. Tucker holding down the small forward spot, however Warren is definitely ready to contribute on the offensive end of the court.

Other NBA Assignee Performances:

Justin Holiday (SC Warriors/GS Warriors) -- 26 points, six rebounds and four assists; 9-20 FGs (5-11 from three; 3-5 FT)

Ognjen Kuzmic (SC Warriors/GS Warriors) -- Six points, 14 rebounds and two blocks; 2-8 FGs (2-2 FT)

Eric Moreland (Reno Bighorns/Sacramento Kings) -- 14 points and 14 rebounds; 6-11 FGs (2-5 FT)

Tyler Ennis (Bakersfield Jam/Phoenix Suns) -- 25 points, six rebounds and five assists; 11-23 FGs (1-5 from three; 2-2 FT)

Toure Murry (Idaho Stampede/Utah Jazz) -- Seven points and five rebounds; 2-9 FGs (0-2 from three; 3-4 FT)

Sacramento's back home after a tough week on the road that has seen them lose three straight, including two in a row in which the Kings were up by at least 24 points in each game.  This homestand isn't exactly going to be a piece of cake either, as the first team they have to face are the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Tonight's action tips off at 7:00 pm tonight on Comcast SportsNet California and on KHTK 1140.

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The Spurs do tend to rest some players on the second night of a back to back, but their game against the Lakers yesterday was so easy that their stars didn't have to play heavy minutes.  There's also the fact that the trip to Sacramento from Los Angeles isn't very long anyway.  As of yet, there's no word on whether or not any of the Spurs main guys will be sitting, but even if they are, this isn't a team to take lightly.  The Spurs make a living on beating other teams with their second unit, and it's just one of the reasons why they're so good.

2. The Kings need to come out strong and stay strong.  The starts in both of the last two games have been fantastic, but it's been the inability to maintain their big leads that has killed them.  I doubt the Spurs are going to let the Kings get the jump on them early like the Grizzlies and Mavericks did, and I fully expect this to be a close game throughout.  Sacramento's bench unit has to step up, as the Kings have routinely lost momentum when they've come into the game.  Hopefully the lessons of the last two game and the home crowd will energize this Kings team.

3. Aside from Tim Duncan, the Spurs don't really have anyone that can guard DeMarcus Cousins.  Even Duncan himself has struggled with Cousins in the past.  Tiago Splitter is out indefinitely, and Aron Baynes and Jeff Ayres are simply not strong enough to handle Boogie in the post.  This should be a good game for Boogie to assert his dominance.  He just needs to find a way to stay on the floor and not pick up cheap fouls.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Darren Collison vs. Tony Parker

Tony Parker is San Antonio's Point of Attack, and even though he's won so many games and so many championships, is still probably one of the more underrated stars in this league.  He's a very crafty player who also has the ability to make big time shots from almost anywhere.  This is a tough assignment for Collison (he's rarely had easy ones), but if he can slow Parker down, that will help immensely.  He will also benefit by giving Parker fits on the other end of the court, as Parker has never been known as a strong defender.

PREGAME LIMERICK

It's Sactown Royalty night,
where many of us will reunite.
Don't be afraid,
or even dismayed,
I've told section214 not to bite.

PREDICTION

Kings 108, Spurs 107 as the Kings figure out that since a 24 point lead didn't work and a 26 point lead didn't work, a 28 point lead will work.

The Spurs finish off their West Coast road trip tonight against the energized Kings.

At the start of this season, if you were to have told me that the Sacramento Kings would be over .500 on November 15, I would have directed you to the nearest rehab clinic. This isn't as much of a knock on the Kings as it is an analysis of Sacramento's schedule.

Sacramento kicked off the season at home against two heavyweights in the Warriors and Trail Blazers. Their prospects didn't look much better in their next seven games that featured road games in Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, OKC, Dallas, and Memphis. Even the bad teams in that stretch are tough outs with their (quite literally) pressing atmospheres and/or boisterous crowds. Any crackpot dream of the Sacramento Kings making the playoffs could very well have ended a week and a half into the season.

And after the Warriors bludgeoned Boogie and his buddies in the second half of their home opener, it appeared we could chalk up another season of the Kings being the Kings. But then they beat Portland. Then the Clippers on the road, the Nuggets twice in a row, and finally the Suns in Phoenix. The Kings were 5-1, and garnered their best start in 13 years.

There's been a rough patch over the past three games, but each comes with its fair share of "did it actually mean anything?" Chesapeake Energy Arena, even without Westbrook and Durant, is a tough place for any team to play at, and their game at Dallas didn't feature Darren Collison where they were still able to keep it close until the final few minutes.

The big issue for Sacramento is shooting. Ben McLemore is a prolific shooter, and appears to be blossoming nicely in his second year, but the rest of the team is loaded with shooters who are average, streaky, or struggling. Nik Stauskas will play a key role on a team at some point in his career (probably sooner than later), but his jumper hasn't been falling and it has limited the rest of his game. Darren Collison is a solid shooter, but has poured in a mere three of 20 from deep so far. Sacramento is hitting threes at a putrid 30.2% clip, and is making fewer per game than a team whose coach doesn't even believe in the shot.

So far in this early season, the Sacramento Kings have been masterful at getting to the line and shutting down opposing offenses.

Despite bricking their way to the 19^th best FG% in the league, the Kings are able to put points on the board by drawing fouls and making the most of them. With Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins, and Darren Collison manning the helm, the Kings are shooting a league best 36.4 free throws per game, which is mind-blowing to think about when Dwight Howard and James Harden play on the same team.

The most dramatic improvement in the Sacramento Kings between this year and last is their defense. It was to be expected that Collison would provide better defense than Isaiah Thomas, King of the Dwarves, but could anyone have imagined this large a disparity? He and McLemore surreptitiously form one of the best defensive backcourts the NBA has to offer, and they've shown it so far. The Kings have held opponents to a 42.7% FG percentage for sixth best in the league, which is a marked improvement over their 46.1% and 20^th best last season. And while it is early in the season, these numbers are particularly impressive given the high quality of offensive talent they have faced so far.

The Sacramento Kings look to be much improved from last season. Boogie has been tearing up the court all season long, but the fact that DeMarcus has forgone all of his silly shenanigans from years' past is refreshing and bodes well for them. We've gotten a glimpse at a mature DeMarcus Cousins and it's encouraging.

Good teams distinguish themselves from the rest of the NBA by the way they respond to adversity. The Kings have made strides in the right direction, but are they ready to be considered a good team? We'll find out tonight.

Matchup to watch: Tim Duncan vs. DeMarcus Cousins. For whatever reason, DeMarcus Cousins really does not like Tim Duncan.

DeMarcus is an aggressive player, but he always takes it to a whole other level when facing Timmy. Despite enduring some frustrating games against the likes of Kendrick Perkins and MilesMasonMiles Plumlee, Boogie has remained (relatively) clear-headed so far. Let's see if it stays that way tonight.

	@
San Antonio Spurs		Sacramento Kings
November 15, 2014
Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, California
9:00 PM CDT
TV: FSSW
Starters
Tony Parker	PG	Darren Collison
Danny Green	SG	Ben McLemore
Kawhi Leonard	SF	Rudy Gay
Boris Diaw	PF	Jason Thompson
Tim Duncan	C	Demarcus Cousins

Game prediction: Spurs by 8.

For the Kings' perspective, visit Sactown Royalty.

As always Tony must dominate Fisher, and you can get your San Antonio Spurs tickets from Daniel Farias with Spurs Sports & Entertainment: Tel: 210-444-5607 | dfarias@attcenter.com

The Spurs finish off their West Coast road trip tonight against the energized Kings.

At the start of this season, if you were to have told me that the Sacramento Kings would be over .500 on November 15, I would have directed you to the nearest rehab clinic. This isn't as much of a knock on the Kings as it is an analysis of Sacramento's schedule.

Sacramento kicked off the season at home against two heavyweights in the Warriors and Trail Blazers. Their prospects didn't look much better in their next seven games that featured road games in Los Angeles, Denver, Phoenix, OKC, Dallas, and Memphis. Even the bad teams in that stretch are tough outs with their (quite literally) pressing atmospheres and/or boisterous crowds. Any crackpot dream of the Sacramento Kings making the playoffs could very well have ended a week and a half into the season.

And after the Warriors bludgeoned Boogie and his buddies in the second half of their home opener, it appeared we could chalk up another season of the Kings being the Kings. But then they beat Portland. Then the Clippers on the road, the Nuggets twice in a row, and finally the Suns in Phoenix. The Kings were 5-1, and garnered their best start in 13 years.

There's been a rough patch over the past three games, but each comes with its fair share of "did it actually mean anything?" Chesapeake Energy Arena, even without Westbrook and Durant, is a tough place for any team to play at, and their game at Dallas didn't feature Darren Collison where they were still able to keep it close until the final few minutes.

The big issue for Sacramento is shooting. Ben McLemore is a prolific shooter, and appears to be blossoming nicely in his second year, but the rest of the team is loaded with shooters who are average, streaky, or struggling. Nik Stauskas will play a key role on a team at some point in his career (probably sooner than later), but his jumper hasn't been falling and it has limited the rest of his game. Darren Collison is a solid shooter, but has poured in a mere three of 20 from deep so far. Sacramento is hitting threes at a putrid 30.2% clip, and is making fewer per game than a team whose coach doesn't even believe in the shot.

So far in this early season, the Sacramento Kings have been masterful at getting to the line and shutting down opposing offenses.

Despite bricking their way to the 19^th best FG% in the league, the Kings are able to put points on the board by drawing fouls and making the most of them. With Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins, and Darren Collison manning the helm, the Kings are shooting a league best 36.4 free throws per game, which is mind-blowing to think about when Dwight Howard and James Harden play on the same team.

The most dramatic improvement in the Sacramento Kings between this year and last is their defense. It was to be expected that Collison would provide better defense than Isaiah Thomas, King of the Dwarves, but could anyone have imagined this large a disparity? He and McLemore surreptitiously form one of the best defensive backcourts the NBA has to offer, and they've shown it so far. The Kings have held opponents to a 42.7% FG percentage for sixth best in the league, which is a marked improvement over their 46.1% and 20^th best last season. And while it is early in the season, these numbers are particularly impressive given the high quality of offensive talent they have faced so far.

The Sacramento Kings look to be much improved from last season. Boogie has been tearing up the court all season long, but the fact that DeMarcus has forgone all of his silly shenanigans from years' past is refreshing and bodes well for them. We've gotten a glimpse at a mature DeMarcus Cousins and it's encouraging.

Good teams distinguish themselves from the rest of the NBA by the way they respond to adversity. The Kings have made strides in the right direction, but are they ready to be considered a good team? We'll find out tonight.

Matchup to watch: Tim Duncan vs. DeMarcus Cousins. For whatever reason, DeMarcus Cousins really does not like Tim Duncan.

DeMarcus is an aggressive player, but he always takes it to a whole other level when facing Timmy. Despite enduring some frustrating games against the likes of Kendrick Perkins and MilesMasonMiles Plumlee, Boogie has remained (relatively) clear-headed so far. Let's see if it stays that way tonight.

	@
San Antonio Spurs		Sacramento Kings
November 15, 2014
Sleep Train Arena, Sacramento, California
9:00 PM CDT
TV: FSSW
Starters
Tony Parker	PG	Darren Collison
Danny Green	SG	Ben McLemore
Kawhi Leonard	SF	Rudy Gay
Boris Diaw	PF	Jason Thompson
Tim Duncan	C	Demarcus Cousins

Game prediction: Spurs by 8.

For the Kings' perspective, visit Sactown Royalty.

As always Tony must dominate Fisher, and you can get your San Antonio Spurs tickets from Daniel Farias with Spurs Sports & Entertainment: Tel: 210-444-5607 | dfarias@attcenter.com

DeMarcus Cousins was dominant in the second half, leading the Kings to a victory over the defending champs.

You'd understand a loss to the San Antonio Spurs by the Sacramento Kings.  Expect it even.  After all, the Spurs are the very model of what an NBA franchise strives to be.  And yet the Kings attacked the defending NBA champions with such aggression, and willed themselves to a 94-91 victory.

Sure, the Spurs were on the second night of a back to back, but the Spurs rested their stars Friday night.  Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, all of them played 6 minutes or less in the fourth quarter on Friday.  And watching the game, it wasn't a matter of fatigue.  It was a matter of facing DeMarcus Cousins.

Boogie was limited in the first half due to two quick fouls.  But the Kings, unlike what we've seen much of this season, held strong.  Cousins played just nine minutes in the first half, yet the Kings held a halftime lead.  Even when it might have normally made sense to bring Cousins back in, Michael Malone allowed the team to play.  When Cousins finally came back in for the second half, he was unstoppable.  Possession after possession, Boogie went straight at Duncan and found the basket.  Boogie had just four points in the first half, but finished the night with a line of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and one block.

There were no big comfortable leads, there were no massive meltdowns.  The game came down to the wire, and you'd expect nothing less from a team like San Antonio.  But in the end, the Kings played an excellent team game, and won together.

For the opponent's perspective, visit Pounding The Rock.

Random Observations

• Cousins picked up a technical foul in the first half, but his season total remains at one, as it was confirmed during the game that his technical against the Memphis Grizzlies has been rescinded.
• The Kings were 0-12 from beyond the arc.  They beat the Spurs without ever hitting a three.
• Omri Casspi's energy was off the charts.  He made so many hustle plays to keep the Kings in this game.
• Jason Thompson played tremendous defense against Tim Duncan, I was quite impressed.
• The Kings had 19 assists to 9 turnovers.  A few of those turnovers came late, as Darren Collison lost the ball twice in the closing minutes, but overall that's a great ratio to see.

The Spurs failed to complete the California sweep. A horrendous second quarter doomed the good guys in this one. Still, 3-1 over the week is a fine showing for the Silver and Black.

Once again, the Spurs came out in this one and just couldn't knock down their shots from the field. I don't know what it is, but the good guys have really struggled early in games this season. This time, they hit just two of their first eight shots and about halfway through the first, the Kings owned a 16-10 advantage on the Spurs. Rudy Gay, who's had a fantastic season so far, hit his first three attempts, including a nice jumper off a Boogie Cousins screen.

Aron Baynes drew the first Cousins assignment with Tiago Splitter still mending that pesky calf. We know what Baynes is and stopping elite post players is not his forte. he tried, but he didn't have much luck on Saturday night. In the first stint he allowed Cousins to score easily from the block and once drawing a questionable charge call on Boogie. Cousins slapped the restricted arc repeatedly to display his displeasure with the call and the replay showed Baynes clearly inside.

It'll be great once Splitter is back and Pop can quit having to call Aron's number to check the other team's starters. I like Baynes, and in spot time he can bang and board and he knows where to go on the floor. He's an asset for the good guys and as one of the "other three" bigs he's among the more useful 10-15th men in the league. Tonight, in just 18 minutes of time on the floor, he finished tied for a team-low minus-11 for the night and went 1-for-5 from the field. It took Kawhi Leonard 40 minutes to rack up the same.

Boris Diaw was an early sub for Tim Duncan and stepped right into a pass from Manu Ginobili and canned a three. I think we can all agree that aggressive Boris is better than over-deferring Boris. Boris' first four minutes in the game produced a 9-2 run from the Spurs with the 9th point coming from a DeMarcus Cousins technical foul. Diaw put up a Diaw-line, if a little light on the assists, with a 7-8-1 in his 23 minutes. He also led the team with a plus-11 for what that's worth.

Pop made an offensive substitution at the end of the first with Matt Bonner checking in for a pretty invisible Jeff Ayres on the last possession. Danny and Matty spread the floor at the corners and Ginobili dribbled up top while the seconds ticked away on the period. With five seconds left on the shot clock, seven in the quarter, Gino drove into the paint which sucked in most of the Kings defense, and then somehow Gino squeezed a pass through all of the hands and bodies to a wide-open Green in the corner. Danny hit one of his two threes of the game (on four tries) and put Spurs up 24-23 after one.

The Spurs didn't take care of the ball as well as they had recently and turned the ball over six times in the first 16 minutes (which is twice the pace that they turned it over during the previous three contests.) The Spurs are forcing turnovers at a higher rate than last season, not as much on Saturday but they did turn back-to-back defensive possessions in the second into points as Boris forced a steal and took all the way down the court to earn a layup. A Tim Duncan block turned into a run-out and score and after that and it seemed like maybe the Spurs would push their lead to double digits. Sacramento hung tough and rattled off six straight to keep pull within one of SA.

Kawhi Leonard then responded with a beautiful post-up on Ben McLemore. He's really turning into quite the threat down there, which is fun to watch. Whi did struggle a little early on with the Spurs continuing to run the offense through him more. He wasn't bad, and we're seeing him become a better passer, but I'm in no hurry to push Whi's usage up over 30% or anything. The reps are good, but it's not always the prettiest thing to watch.

That bucket from Whi is the last thing that went well for the Spurs in the half. Luckily the Kings didn't have any luck scoring on their end either and the Spurs were still up one with three minutes left in the half. The Kings then exploded and went on a 10-0 run that was fueled by two more Spurs turnovers and a couple of blocked attempts. The Spurs missed 12 of their last 13 attempts of the second quarter and turned the ball over three times. Not good stuff.

The Kings ran out to a 10-point lead early in the third, but San Antonio responded with three defensive stops and scores on three of their next four possessions to pull Sacramento back within three, 50-53.

Matt Bonner had the unenviable task of checking Boogie and while Matt may have success defending the Ibaka's and Robin Lopez' of the world, Cousins is just too good in the post. After four straight Cousins points, Diaw checked in for Matt and Baynes checked in for Tim to take Cousins. Boogie took it at the Big Banger and scored his sixth point on three attempts. That prompted a Popovich timeout.

Baynes then had a successful two minute stretch where he played Boogie well on a possession, tallied an assist and scored his lone bucket. Still, by the time the third ended the Spurs had doubled their output from the second quarter and outscored the Kings 28-24. They also managed to stop turning the ball over and committed just two in the third. The game was wide open at this point.

The Spurs went cold again and the Kings pushed their lead back out to 10 about four minutes into the fourth. That was a little deflating but perhaps this woke the Spurs up, because Timmy knocked down a ridiculously tough banker, Kawhi converted an and-one and Tim hit a pair of free throws to cut it back down to three in about a minute of game time. Game on.

The two teams played tough and went back and forth, with the Spurs keeping the Kings within five for the next several possessions. Timmy and Boogie really battled down the stretch in this one and both players played well, but Boogie won tonight. Boogie received a nice call from the officials as Tim forced a miss. Tim was visibly upset after this call and the replay showed him touching a lot of ball. Tim got his revenge a couple of possessions later as he stole the ball from a driving Cousins and the Spurs scored on the other end. Cousins then took a Ginobili charge that disallowed a Duncan bucket.

Tony Parker, who was pretty quiet in the game to that point, stole the ball, made it down the court, and then knocked down a wing triple. One-point game. A beautiful feed from Timmy to Tony gave the Spurs their first lead of the half with 2:01 remaining in the game. This one was going down to the wire.

Popovich certainly wanted this one. He played Tim 34 minutes on a SEGABABA and had the big fella take Cousins down the stretch. Cousins and the Kings were just too tough in this one.

The final two minutes were pretty frustrating for Spurs fans. The Spurs played good defense down just one with a little over a minute left, but the Kings were awarded the ball out of bounds after a Leonard block and Omri Casspi took a shot that was so off that it got wedged between the rim and the backboard. Talk about luck. There were three Spurs to zero Kings on the left side of the floor, where the ball would have come off, and they certainly would have come up with the rebound, but instead, a jump ball followed. Rudy Gay gained possession, Darren Collison scored, Timmy missed in the lane and after a little interesting foul-game play, the Spurs were unable to pull out the victory.

It was a good, hard-fought win for the Kings and they're going to be a handful every night this season. Boogie's a beast, Gay's found a home and they play with heart. That's a winning combination.

Your Spurs fall to 5-4, which isn't bad considering their injuries and their tough schedule to start the season. In fact, how many of you had the Spurs going 3-1 on the road trip? Not many I'd bet. It would have been nice to see them pull this one out, but the Kings played tough and the good guys didn't have it on their fourth road game of the week.

They'll try again when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night at 7:30 Spurs time.

Numbers:

43% - What the Spurs shot from the floor. It's also what the Spurs are shooting so far this season. I think we're all used to San Antonio shooting a bit better than that. I'm not worried, but it'd be nice to see them knock down more of their looks.

29% - What the Spurs shot from deep. The Spurs came into the game shooting 32% for the season and after shooting over 40% from three last season, this is just frustrating to watch. Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills being out has certainly contributed to the slow start. The shots will fall, but man, it sure would be nice if it happens soon.

0% - The Kings missed all 12 of their three-point attempts. They hit 50% of their twos. That, their very good free-throw shooting and the fact that they only gave the ball up nine times proved to be enough to beat the defending champs.

27 - Minutes played by DeMarcus Cousins while the other four Kings starters averaged 37 each in this one. DC ended up with five fouls, but because he didn't play a ton of minutes, he was fresh down the stretch and just about impossible to stop. I like Boogie, and tonight he finished with 25 and 10. In those limited minutes that is outstanding. He might not have a super traditional post game, but he's fun to watch and very, very effective down low.

14 - Turnovers by the Spurs. That's not too bad. Most nights that would be just fine, but the Kings turned those 14 into 17 points. On the other side, the Kings were careful and the Spurs were only able to score seven off of their nine TOs.

In Pop's words:

I think overall [The Kings] played a great defensive game. They were physical and executed well. They did a good job.

Whi's whispers:

It's about 48 minutes, not the last minute.

Vine of the Night:

Kawhi in the post. Pretty shot. All net. Guess we'll be getting used to this over the season. #Spurs#Kawhi... https://t.co/wBWVOE33O3

— J.R. Wilco (@jollyrogerwilco) November 16, 2014

After a three-game losing streak, some questions rose about the NBA's surprise team of the year. By beating the defending champs, the Kings quieted those doubts.

When Tony Parker hit a layup to put the San Antonio Spurs up 88-87 with two minutes to play, you couldn't help but think, "Oh no, here we go again." The Sacramento Kings, who had led the entire second half, were about to give another game away.

But Rudy Gay hit a pair of free throws and DeMarcus Cousins won a crucial jump ball at center court. That led to a Darren Collison layup, giving the Kings a 91-88 lead. Sacramento led 94-91 on the final possession but Manu Ginobili's 3-pointer missed at the buzzer. With the win, the Kings halted their three-game skid and did so against the NBA's defending champions.

That losing streak had been excruciating, too, starting with an eight-point loss to injury-ravaged Oklahoma City. The next game, the Kings marched out to a 24-point first quarter lead before slowly and surely letting the Mavericks come back on their home floor. Thursday was by far the worst: with 0.3 seconds left on the clock, Sacramento somehow forgot to defend Courtney Lee under the basket for a game-winning lay-in.

On Saturday, the Kings got back to the 90s-style physicality that helped them to a 5-1 start and it was enough to upset the Spurs. Even after visiting the locker room before the fourth quarter for a laceration above his eye, DeMarcus Cousins was at the heart of everything the Kings did. He finished with game-highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds while navigating five fouls. Not all of his strong play showed up on a box score either, like the crucial jump ball he won or an important charge he drew against Tim Duncan late in the fourth quarter.

The Kings will run into losing streaks again. They could use more shooting (get it together, Nik Stauskas) -- very rarely will you win games going 0-for-12 from deep like they did against San Antonio. They're also relying on Collison to be their third-best player, and while he's averaging 15 points this year, it's coming with 42 percent shooting from the floor and 22 percent on 3-pointers. Both of those are problems Sacramento's front office needs to deal with eventually.

The Kings players can't worry about that, though. With their win against the Spurs, the Kings quieted any thoughts that the first five wins might have just been a fluke. As long as they've got Boogie Cousins and plenty of hard fouls to go around, no NBA team is looking forward to playing them.

3 other things we learned

Watch out, the Cavaliers are starting to get it together. On Saturday, the Cavaliers were as good on offense as everyone in the NBA feared they could be. They hit their first 11 3-pointers, a franchise record, and didn't slow down after that, finishing 19-for-31 from deep while also shooting 54 percent from the field. LeBron James led the way with 32 points on 13-of-20 shooting, while Dion Waiters came off the bench to score nine and was a plus-45. PLUS FORTY-FIVE. Even though individual plus/minus for a single game really doesn't mean anything, that one is mind blowing.

The Mavericks have scored 254 points in their last two games. That's a lot of points -- even if it was against the Sixers and Timberwolves. After head coach Rick Carlisle called out his team's effort after a flat performance in a 105-96 loss to Miami, Dallas has rattled off three straight wins and holds an NBA-leading 115.0 offensive rating for the season. On Saturday, Tyson Chandler notched a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double, the fifth in his last seven games.

The Pacers keep winning ugly. In the seven Saturday games where a team with a winning record played one with a losing one, the better team won -- with the exception of Pacers-Bulls. Despite Jimmy Butler's career night of 32 points on 17 shots, the Pacers pulled through to improve to 4-7. The Pacers clobbered Chicago on the glass 46-34. Indiana is still headed for a losing season, but the team makes basketball tough for opponents and is hardly the pushover many expected coming into the season.

Play of the Night

1. Gorgui Dieng pump faked and got Tyson Chandler to bite on a half-jump.

2. With Chandler in the air, Dieng put the ball on the floor and drove to the rim. Surely, after the successful pump fake, he'd have an easy layup, right?

3. Dieng did not have an easy layup. Chandler obliterated the basketball into the second row.

4. Unlike baseball, a basketball going into the stands in a rare, fun event. You see it maybe once a game, sometimes not at all. When it does happen, it almost always golden. As a result, those two guys in the front row were probably very excited to see the ball headed their direction.

5. Mavs assistant coach and former NBA player Darrell Armstrong, who is clearly not a fan of fun, makes a one-handed catch before it reaches them. Sorry guys.

1 fun thing

Lance Stephenson is a walking Vine. Watch him invent a totally new way to flop by slapping himself.

Final scores

Wizards 98, Magic 93 (Bullets Forever recap | Orlando Pinstriped Post recap)
Cavaliers 127, Hawks 94 (Fear the Sword recap | Peachtree Hoops recap)
Raptors 111, Jazz 93 (Raptors HQ recap | SLC Dunk recap)
Pacers 99, Bulls 90 (Indy Cornrows recap | Blog a Bull recap)
Grizzlies 95, Pistons 88 (Grizzly Bear Blues recap | Detroit Bad Boys)
Kings 94, Spurs 91 (Sactown Royalty recap | Pounding the Rock recap)
Trail Blazers 97, Nets 87 (Blazer's Edge recap | Nets Daily recap)
Warriors 112, Hornets 87 (Golden State of Mind recap | At the Hive recap)
Clippers 120, Suns 107 (Clips Nation recap | Bright Side of the Sun recap)

Gay to sign a three-year extension with a player option for the 2017-18 season.

Rudy Gay has reached an agreement with the Sacramento Kings on a three-year, $40 million contract extension, according to Yahoo Sports.

Gay has one year left in his current deal, which pays him $19.3 for the 2014-15 season. The extension begins in the 2015-16 season and has a player option for the 2017-18 season. Gay could opt out to become a free agent in the summer of 2017, at the same time the NBA's $24 billion TV deal kicks in.

Gay is averaging 22.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists for the surprising Kings, who are off to a hot start at 6-4. Signing Gay to an extension is a boost for a Kings organization eager to keep it's stars around as they near closer and closer to building a new downtown arena.

This summer, Gay tabled extension talks after exercising his player option for this season. Even then, the Kings expressed their intent to keep Gay in Sacramento. Their persistence, and perhaps the Kings' hot start, appear to have paid off.

From our Kings blogger at @sactownroyalty RT @Aykis16: 3 years and $40 million for Rudy is phenomenal.

— SB Nation NBA (@SBNationNBA) November 16, 2014

Now, the Kings have Gay and DeMarcus Cousins locked up for the next three years. Plus, they should have spending flexibility since Gay's contract is a tad lower than expected. It's lower than Gordon Hayward's or Josh Smith's.

Gay will be 31 in the summer of 2017 when he has the option to enter free agency.

We'll add to this story as it develops.

Kings fans can breathe a sigh of relief.  Rudy Gay will be a Sacramento King for the foreseeable future.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported today that the Kings and Gay had reached agreement on a contract extension worth $40 million over 3 years.  The deal includes a player option for the final season, just like his last contract did.

From Woj's article on the deal:

Gay's agent, Alex Saratsis of Octagon, finalized the details of the deal with Sacramento management over the past several days, culminating with an agreement on Saturday night. The Kings have wanted to re-sign Gay for several months, and Gay decided to push forward with an agreement in recent days, deciding to bypass free agency in the summer.

For the Kings, the re-signing of Gay is an important statement on the franchise's ability to get high-level players to decide to stay with the organization. For years, it had been a struggle for the Kings, but the new ownership and management regime made the kind of organizational changes needed to court and keep Gay.

Sacramento has started the season 6-4 against a very tough schedule and that no doubt factored into Rudy's mind when making this decision.  For the Kings, this is a significant hurdle that they no longer have to worry about, as they now have both DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy locked up for three more years after this one.  Cousins will be just 27 years old when his contract expires and Rudy will be 31.

Rudy Gay is currently making $19.3 million in the final year of the max contract extension the Memphis Grizzlies gave him after his rookie contract was up.  Gay never lived up to that contract in either Memphis or Toronto, but Sacramento took a chance on him last season and it's been paying big dividends.  Gay has been a very good #2 to DeMarcus Cousins and has played some of the best basketball of his career so far in Sacramento.  Gay is currently averaging 22.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game, all numbers that would be career-highs if he can sustain it.

Gay's new contract is set to pay him an average of $13.3 million a year, which is not bad considering the rising salary cap (which could explode in a couple years thanks to the new television contract).  That deal falls short of the contracts given to guys like Gordon Hayward, Chandler Parsons, and Josh Smith. There was some thought that Gay would end up signing a $14-15 million a year deal, and this falls short of that.  This deal should give the Kings some flexibility going forward to continue to improve the team around Cousins and Gay.

This is a great day for the Sacramento Kings.

What a rollercoaster of a week.  The Kings started out with a couple of humiliating collapses, but then finished out of by taking care of business against the defending champs and inking Rudy Gay to a good deal.  The Kings are now home for most of this week before heading back on to the road, but first let's take a look at the week that was.

The Good:

1. Let's Boogie

See Player of the Week

2. Kings bounce back with win over the Champs

It'd be easy for the Kings to get depressed and morose after two tough losses on the road.  The San Antonio Spurs are not pushovers, and they gave the Kings a tough game on Saturday but Sacramento was able to grit out a win that went down to the wire.  They did so despite not hitting a single three pointer and shooting just 43% from the field.  DeMarcus Cousins was huge down the stretch and the whole team played good defense against the Spurs big guns.  The Kings have been taking care of business at home, and now have a chance to get some momentum before having to head back.  This win was a good start.

3. Rudy Gay is here to stay

Coming into this season, I was pretty worried about what would happen if the Kings had another bad year with Rudy not being locked up.  Fortunately the Kings are a lot better than I (and many others) thought they were and that played a big part in Rudy Gay's decision to sign an early extension.  The deal, 3 years and $40 million, makes Rudy the second highest paid player on the team starting next year and gives the Kings both security and flexibility going forward.  Sacramento now has two stars locked up for the foreseeable future, a real core to build around.  The future is bright.

4. Omri Casspi, the energizer bunny

Omri has been so much fun this year.  As both DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay remarked after the win against the Spurs, Omri is everywhere.  He's hitting the boards (8.0 rebounds per 36 minutes), scoring efficiently (52.6% from the field), getting to the line (6.2 times per 36 minutes), passing (career-high 3.2 assists per 36 minutes) and defending.  He's been a big boost off our otherwise weak bench, and he did well playing Power Forward down the stretch against the Spurs with the rest of the starters.  I wouldn't be surprised to see more of that lineup, especially as it allowed Jason Thompson to play backup Center over Reggie Evans.

5. Ben McLemore continues to stay on the right track

The best thing to come out of Sacramento's road trip was the continued growth of Ben McLemore.  Ben's finally hitting his shots and contributing on the defensive end of the floor.  Ben still has room for even more growth, but he's becoming a contributor which is a good first step.

The Bad:

1.  Boogie on the bench

After ten games, DeMarcus Cousins is fouling at his highest rate ever.  He has just two games all year where he hasn't reached five fouls, and that's a big problem, because the Kings are sooo much worse with Cousins off the floor.  Part of me believes the reason for Cousins' high foul rate this year has been the fact that he's trying harder and more consistently to play defense throughout the game, but he also still picks up some silly reach fouls at times as well and those are the ones that have to stop.  DeMarcus is a per-minute monster, but unfortunately his minutes aren't very high yet because of all the fouls.

2. Backup guards

Ramon Sessions and Nik Stauskas were supposed to be a good scoring punch off the bench but so far they've been bad on both ends of the floor.  Stauskas is a rookie so it's to be expected that he'll struggle as he tries to find his place in the league but Sessions has been in a career-low slump.  He's shooting just 31.8% from the field, averaging just 1.6 assists to 1.3 turnovers, and getting routinely beat by opposing guards.  As the season continues, we're going to need a lot more production from both of these guys.

The Ugly:

1. Collapses in Dallas and Memphis

The Kings should be 8-2 right now but the Kings aren't yet at the point where they can put teams away yet.  They dealt a helluva sucker punch to both the Mavericks and Grizzlies, jumping out to early 24 and 26 point leads respectively in those games.  Dallas erased that lead in very little time and ended up controlling most of the second half of the game.  The Grizzlies came back from 17 down with 7 minutes left to win on a controversial last millisecond bucket by Courtney Lee to complete their greatest comeback in franchise history.  These were just excruciating losses, but hopefully they served a purpose as a teaching moment for this young team.

2. 0.3 seconds

The Memphis collapse was even worse than the one in Dallas, because it came down to the wire.  First, Ben McLemore, an 81% free throw shooter, missed two free throws in a row and the Kings didn't manage to get a hand on the ball, allowing Zach Randolph to call a timeout.  Then Jason Thompson got horribly lost on a switch and Vince Carter was able to find a wide open Courtney Lee at the basket for an alley-oop reverse layup.  That's ignoring the fact that Ryan Hollins may have tipped the ball, or that the clock didn't start on time and Lee possibly didn't get it off in actual 0.3 seconds.  Regardless, this was an ugly, ugly sequence, and a situation that the Kings shouldn't have even allowed to happen.

Player of the Week:

DeMarcus Cousins

21 PPG, .510 FG%, 11.0 RPG, 2.0 AST, 0.7 STL, 1.3 BLK in 29.1 MPG

Aside from all the fouls, as mentioned above, Boogie's having a phenomenal year.  He's engaged on both ends of the court and for all the talk in past years about how he wants to be a leader, this is the first year where he's saying AND doing the right things.  I especially loved his comments after the Memphis loss where he refused to blame the final sequence and instead put the focus on the lack of defensive effort in the final three quarters.  This is the DeMarcus Cousins that can lead us places.

FanPost of the Week:

Ball Don't Lie - The ball says, "Hollins Tipped Me" by Fireplug

Images/GIFs of the Week:

by Carpeteria on Nov 16, 2014 | 7:00 AMupreply unrec (27)actions

Congrats on a great win, Kings fans. This is my gift to you:

by Jesus Gomez on Nov 15, 2014 | 10:55 PMreply unrec (29)actions

Boogie Smash!

by Bradley Geiser on Nov 16, 2014 | 12:43 AMreply unrec (66)actions

Comments of the Week:

more like NBA 0.3

by jim_buck on Nov 13, 2014 | 8:52 PMupreply rec (27) flagactions

Highlight of the Week:

Caption Contest:

Link to Last Week's Picture

Last Week's Winner: rcubed37

Malone just discovers Travis Outlaw is no longer on the team.

Last Week's Runner-Up: section214

Malone: "My last point guard was thiiiiis big."

This Week's Picture:

A reminder of the rules for the Caption Contest. Leave your caption in the comments below, and the most rec'd (to recommend a comment, hit action, then rec) caption wins.

Nostradumbass Prediction for Next Week:

11/18 vs. New Orleans L (The Pelicans are going to give us a lot more trouble than you might think.  Omer Asik is a big strong center with very good defensive chops, Anthony Davis is a budding superstar, and the Pelicans also have a healthy roster for a change with Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson all available.  This is one of the best offenses in the league right now, and while I think the Kings will be considered favorites at home, I think we end up losing a close one.)

11/20 vs. Chicago W (For some reason the Kings have played the Bulls very well the last few years despite the Bulls being an all-around much better team.  Derrick Rose could be the difference here, depending on if he plays or not.  Pau Gasol is also a much better player for Chicago than Carlos Boozer was, and he actually brings something on the defensive end of the court.  Still, this is Sacramento's first nationally televised game and I expect a big effort from the guys and an energetic arena leading to a big Kings win.)

11/22 at Minnesota W (This is Sacramento's first game against a team that you can legitimately call bad, although in retrospect the Nuggets might fit in that category as well.  The Timberwolves are loaded with young talent, but without Love, they don't have many real offensive threats, and now Ricky Rubio is gone for the foreseeable future as well.  Minnesota's defense is one of the worst in the league, and this is a game that Sacramento needs to win.)

Nostradumbass Record for the Year: 4-6

Random Observations from around the league:

• The NBA record for Usage Rate (the estimate of the amount of team possessions a player uses in a game) was set in 2005-06 by one Kobe Bean Bryant at an absurd 38.7%.  That Lakers team won 45 games, or terrible by Bryant and the Lakers' standards.  This year the Lakers are even worse, and Bryant is gunning even more, with a current usage of 38.9%, which is higher than his current Field Goal Percentage of 37.7%.
• I know Kings fans are incredibly excited about this start (and they should be), and the p-word has been thrown around a little bit.  Let me put a bit of a damper on that.  At 6-4, the Kings are currently 8th in the Western Conference standings.  That's ahead of the Spurs (currently 9th), the Suns (10th) and the Thunder (who are 3-8 without Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant).  I don't think anybody expects the Spurs to miss the Playoffs and teams like Phoenix, New Orleans (currently 7th) and possibly OKC figure to be in the running down the stretch.  I'll be happy if the Kings are even relevant to the conversation towards the back half of the season.
• Who wins first, the Philadelphia 76ers or the Oakland Raiders?
• Purely out of self-interest as a Kings fan, I like to look at teams that have been disappointing records and see which teams might be interested in trading assets for cheap.  The early disappointments so far have been Denver, Detroit and New York.  At this point, Stan Van Gundy is probably kicking himself for not taking Sacramento's table scraps for Josh Smith, who is having an even worse year than last, shooting just 36.5% and taking the most FGA of anybody on the team.  Denver traded a promising player in Evan Fournier (who is blossoming in Orlando) for Arron Afflalo, and Afflalo hasn't been a real difference maker yet.  The Knicks meanwhile, seem to be adapting to the Triangle slowly, although the real issue is a huge lack of depth and overall talent.  I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these teams try to shed some depth and possibly go for a full rebuild.  There's also teams that are in the midst of a rebuild already and are looking to shed veterans.  The Timberwolves for example, are apparently in trade talks to send Corey Brewer for essentially nothing.  I'm sure they'll be looking to make other deals as the season continues.

The deal to keep Gay in Sacramento will allow the scorer to reach free agency at a better moment and ends some uncertainty for the Kings.

After flirting with a deal in the offseason, the Kings and Rudy Gay reached an extension agreement that will keep the high-scoring forward out of free agency in 2015. The three-year, $40 million deal has Gay staying in Sacramento through 2017-18, though there's a player option for the deal's final season. While Gay will be taking a steep pay cut next season -- he's making more than $19 million this year -- it's the perfect deal for both sides.

Before we explain why, we need to re-assess Gay in Sacramento. He's very different from the Rudy Gay you might remember from Memphis or Toronto.

As a supplemental option, Gay is more efficient. The biggest item to note about Sacramento Rudy is he's a clear No. 2 option behind DeMarcus Cousins. That wasn't the case in Toronto, where Gay was the No. 1 weapon on offense (in his mind, at least). With the Raptors, Gay had 1,000 shooting possessions in 1,785 minutes, or just over 20 shooting possessions per 36 minutes, including free throws. In Sacramento, Gay has had 1,174 shooting possessions in 2,261 minutes, or 18.7 shooting possessions per 36 minutes. It's a relatively small difference, but there's also the matter that defenses are more keyed in on stopping Cousins, so Gay can get free with less attention.

A column on the NBA.11/20: States that produce NBA players11/11: 8 charts that explain the Lakers11/6: Don't panic about the Cavaliers11/3: 3 reasons the Kings are this season's Suns10/30: OKC's Westbrook problem10/29: 3 reasons the Lakers may be tanking10/28: Relax and love the NBA 10/27: Kawhi should hold out for max

In Toronto, Gay had a True Shooting percentage of .497. In Sacramento, he's at .568, which is above league average. This season he's scoring 22.5 points per game, good for No. 9 in the NBA. Only four of the players scoring more than Gay this season have higher TS% marks: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, LeBron James. The top scorer in the West, Kobe Bryant, is scoring 0.96 points per shooting possession to Gay's 1.14.

The knock on Gay has always been his lack of efficiency. That's disappeared in Sacramento.

So why does deal works so well for both parties? Gay's value is sky-high because of the improvements he's made. Without signing an extension and assuming he continues to perform, he'd have entered 2015 free agency among the top 10 options. He probably would have been in line to ink a deal around $15 million per season, with the Kings or elsewhere.

But remember in 2016 the salary cap figures to explode due to the new national TV deal. It should be the goal of all upper-tier players to become free agents in 2016, or as soon as possible thereafter. If Gay were to enter 2015 free agency, chances are any team paying big coin might insist he sign for three years to protect themselves from a quick free agent exit. In this case, longer deals benefit the teams more than players. Signing a three-year deal in 2015 would mean Gay couldn't take advantage of the new TV money until 2018.

The deal Gay signed with Sacramento allows the forward to opt out in 2017, one year after the cap explodes and just before he turns 31. It also pays him pretty well up until that point (an average of $13.3 million per season). It's basically the deal Gay would have wanted in free agency: a short deal with a big paycheck, plus some security if things go haywire. There was really little reason for Gay to wait until July to try to get such a deal, especially considering that the Kings look to be on the rise.

The Kings needed to keep Gay, and have been working hard for months to make it happen. Doing so now allows Sacramento to maintain current momentum -- they are No. 8 in the West against an absolutely brutal schedule -- and lets them focus on other positions in free agency and the trade market. The elimination of uncertainty is a valuable thing.

The Kings know they have small forward locked down going forward in addition to center, so they can focus exclusively on the rest of the roster. Uncertainty is something that hindered the Kings' front office in 2014 as they had to wait on Isaiah Thomas' future to be resolved before addressing the rest of the roster. The only current Sacramento rotation player who isn't signed for 2015-16 is Reggie Evans, who is the fourth big. General manager Pete D'Alessandro has all of his cards lined up, and he can make moves and target specific positions as he pleases.

As of now, without accounting for cap smoothing, the Kings should have around $10 million of cap space in 2015. If the cap explodes as we think it will in 2016, the Kings would have about $30 million in cap space with Cousins, Gay, Darren Collison, Carl Landry, Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas under contract. Of course just about every team will have max cap space in 2016. But this Gay deal doesn't keep Sacramento out of that party.

Keep in mind also that the Kings have historically had trouble luring big name free agents to sign outright, instead relying on the draft (Peja Stojakovic, Cousins) and trades (Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Gay) to build good teams. So long as Sacramento has movable roster pieces and flexibility, there's little sense in targeting massive cap space. This is different than with, say, the Lakers, who do have a history of landing big fish in free agency. Less glamorous markets need a different gameplan. Signing Gay fits with that Sacramento needs to do to continue to build a fuller roster.

When you consider that the Kings are also paying below-market rates for a top-10 scorer in his prime, it looks even better. Sacramento has overpaid Gay for the just-under two seasons since they acquired him. Now it seems they'll get a good deal on him for two or three more seasons.

That's a nice result after a risky move. It paid off.

The Kings are 6-4... or are they?

The NBA today announced that the Sacramento Kings have officially filed a protest over the outcome of last Thursday's loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.  From the press release:

The National Basketball Association announced today that the Sacramento Kings have protested the team's 111-110 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on November 13 at FedExForum.  The basis for the Kings' protest is that Courtney Lee's game-winning shot should have been disqualified as having been made after time expired.  Under the protest procedures in the NBA Constitution, Memphis and Sacramento each will have an opportunity to submit evidence in support of its position and the protest will be decided by December 2.

James Ham has more:

2 issues at hand with Kings protest. 1. Did Ryan Hollins tip inbounds. 2. Did Courtney Lee get the shot off in .3 of a second.

— James Ham (@James_Ham) November 17, 2014

Sacramento has visual evidence that Hollins did tip the ball. Change of rotation and direction. And Lee's layup is timed at .377 seconds.

— James Ham (@James_Ham) November 17, 2014

Despite evidence for Sacramento, it's difficult to predict NBA overturning game. It just doesn't happen very often.

— James Ham (@James_Ham) November 17, 2014

Funnily enough, the Kings play the Memphis Grizzlies once more on November 30th before this ruling will be decided.  Regardless of the outcome of this ruling, let's at least win that one, and leave no questions about it.

Sacramento claims to have visual evidence that Courtney Lee's game-winning layup on Thursday night should not have counted.

The Sacramento Kings are protesting Thursday night's last-second loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, according to multiplereports.

The Kings claim to have visual evidence that Courtney Lee's buzzer-beating alley-oop, which capped of a 26-point comeback, should not have counted, according to James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom. That evidence is that the inbounds pass was deflected by Sacramento center Ryan Hollins. The pass was thrown with just 0.3 seconds remaining, and the clock is supposed to start as soon as the ball is touched by a player on the court. If Hollins did indeed tip the pass, the clock should have expired before the ball made it to Lee.

Sacramento is also claiming that Lee took 0.377 seconds to catch the ball and shoot it, even though he only had 0.3.

You can watch the play below:

The play was reviewed extensively by the game's officials and the NBA's new replay center before a final ruling was made. All angles and images pointed to Hollins not touching the ball and to Lee getting rid of the ball before the game clock expired, which is what the officials ruled.

The NBA's charges teams $10,000 to protest games, according to USA Today's Sam Amick. Amick also had the following to add on Kings general manager, Pete D'Alessandro.

In other Kings news, GM @Pdoro was so incensed by Grizzlies game that he blew a blood vessel in his eye right after the controversial finish

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 16, 2014

Visual proof of aforementioned, loss-induced blood vessel pop RT @Pdoro: @sam_amick the truth is in the details...Lol pic.twitter.com/VLhFqDYPPm

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 16, 2014

The last time the NBA granted a protest was seven years ago in a December  2007 contest between the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat. That game was protested by the Heat after Atlanta's home scorekeeper incorrectly ruled that Shaquille O'Neal had fouled out with 51.9 seconds remaining in overtime even though he had only committed five fouls. An earlier foul by Undonis Haslem had mistakenly been attributed to O'Neal. Atlanta went on to win that game, but Miami protested and the NBA ruled in favor of the Heat. The league also fined the Hawks. The last minute of the game was replayed in March, 2008 and the Hawks won 114-111.

The last granted protest prior to that came in 1982 when the Spurs claimed that a late lane violation call in a game between them and the Lakers had been incorrect, according to ESPN Research. The NBA also granted a Nets protest in 1978 centered on a technical foul called in a game between them and the Sixers.

The earliest granted protest on record is from 1954 when the Celtics claimed that two free throws made by Lakers forward Vern Mikkelsen should not have counted because the foul committed came after the game clock had expired.

★★★

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Let's look at some of the plays that stood out in the Spurs' loss to the Kings on Saturday night.

Danny Green makes a great cut here as Tim Duncan is having a little trouble working Jason Thompson in the post. Ben McLemore is caught ball-watching as Danny, showing great awareness, cuts through the lane and Big Fun hits him under the rim with an excellent pass.

Manu may be near the end, but he's still dropping jaws just about nightly. Here is he is attacking without a screen and getting into the lane as the both clocks tick down. The Kings' defense is sucked in, Gino goes airborne, triple-clutches and slings the ball around Thompson to Green in the corner for the triple.

Boris doing his best Kawhi Leonard impression with the steal and coast-to-coast run for the score.

Diaw and Ginobili led the Spurs in +/- against the Kings. Here they are hooking up with some help from a Tim Duncan screen. Danny clears out for Boris to work in the post, but with Gino getting a clean cut to the hoop it's easier for Boris to just make the pass for the easy layup. I think this is how Boris prefers to play. He could try in the post and he'd probably score a little more than a point per attempt from there, but that's hard work. It's much easier to just facilitate. Beautiful feed, though.

Kawhi Leonard is really really becoming a mid-range threat and that's pretty exciting. His jumper is working and his post game keeps getting better and better. This post possession is quite the success as Whi backs down Ben McLemore and then spins into a fadeaway that hits nothing but net. So pretty.

DeMarcus Cousins is a beast down low. Even the great Tim Duncan is overwhelmed by Boogie here. Cousins is just too quick, too strong and he has a deft touch around the rim.

Let's end this edition with a a nice Parker/Manu connection. Manu fools the young McLemore with a sly reverse of direction in the lane and Tony fires the ball to Gino for an easy one.

We'll be back with another edition of GIF Breakdown after the Sixers game, hopefully after a Spurs W.

The Kings would probably be riding even higher than they were last week if they hadn't managed to blow two big leads on the road last week, and as a result, the hot start has lost a little bit of its luster.  Still, a gutsy win against the Spurs and a 6-4 record have helped to right the ship.

SBNation has moved us down a few spots to 11th:

Sacramento's had a tough week, losing three games since last Sunday and giving up big leads along the way. Their win against the Spurs was nice, but catching them on the second half of a back-to-back at the end of a four-game road trip definitely lessens the value of it. But hey, Rudy Gay is playing great right now and his new contract extension is solid value for both sides.

NBA.com also has us at 11, and would like more Boogie please.

A win over the champs is a nice way to rebound from blowing leads of 24 and 26 in Dallas and Memphis. The Kings probably wouldn't be blowing leads if DeMarcus Cousins could avoid foul trouble and stay on the floor.They're a plus-14.5 per 48 minutes with him in the game (much better on both ends) and a minus-20.0 with him on the bench.

CBSSports has us 12th and is still impressed:

That Memphis loss could have unraveled them. But to get it together and outwill the defending champs, even with San Antonio on a back-to-back was huge. Their offensive numbers, all the way down to shot selection, say they should be worse. But they're finding ways to win and have an identity. Darren Collison has been incredible.

ESPN dropped us out of the top 10 to 12th:

How do you rebound from two massive blown leads and a profane putdown from Kendrick Perkins? Can't do much better than finally finding a way to beat San Antonio -- despite shooting 0-for-12 on 3-pointers -- and then quickly coming to terms on a favorable contract extension with Rudy Gay.

SportsIllustrated still has in the Top 10, but just barely at 9th:

What do you do for an encore after bowing a 24-point lead? Squandering a 26-point lead two nights later! As good as the Kings' start has been, last week's losses show this team is still not quite ready for the limelight. The talent is there, the experience is not.

Yahoo also has us 9th:

Rudy Gay was more interested in re-signing now than at the end of last season. Winning, money and love by the Kings helped.

USAToday puts us 13th, but isn't as optimistic as many others:

Rudy Gay's three-year extension helps continuity. But if they fall off as many expect, Is that a good thing?

The Kings already had a tough game on the books tomorrow with Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans coming into town, but that game will be even tougher if Rudy Gay is unable to play.

Sacramento today announced that Rudy Gay is questionable for Tuesday night's contest against the Pelicans as he's dealing with right achilles tendinitis.  Jason Thompson was also listed on the day's injury report with left quadriceps tendinitis, but he's probable.

Gay is Sacramento's leading scorer at 22.5 points per game and is also second in assists (3.5) and rebounds (6.8), so someone else will have to step up in a big way if he can't make it.  Omri Casspi is the logical choice to start in his place.  While Casspi's numbers in limited minutes off the bench don't necessarily jump out at you, his per 36 minutes numbers do look pretty good: 14.8 points (52.6% from the field), 8.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

The Pelicans might end up missing a key player as well, as starting Center Omer Asik sat out of tonight's game against the Trail Blazers because of his back.  Without Asik, the Pelicans would have to rely on Jeff Withey, Alexis Ajinca, Ryan Anderson and Anthony Davis to try to stop DeMarcus Cousins.  Last year when these two teams played, the Pelicans didn't match Davis up against the much bigger Cousins very often.  If the two do go at it, it should make for a very entertaining nationally televised game.

The Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans find themselves in similar situations tonight, as both teams have playoff aspirations in a deep West but have yet to make it.  Games like tonight are potentially huge in the end of the year when the standings are getting sorted out, so expect both teams to give their all. Tonight's action tips off at 7:00 pm tonight on Comcast SportsNet California, NBA TV and on KHTK 1140.

3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The Pelicans have a reputation as a defensive team, with long athletes and big bodies at every position, but it's their offense that has been really clicking so far.  Anthony Davis is averaging 25.2 points a game on a ridiculously efficient 57.9% from the field and Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday and Ryan Anderson are all averaging at least 16 points a game as well.  Eric Gordon is another guy who can potentially fill it up, although he's struggled so far this season.  This is a dangerous team with a lot of weapons.

2. Omer Asik missed last night's game against the Trail Blazers and if he misses tonight against the Kings that's potentially a huge boon for Sacramento, as they don't really have any other player that can guard DeMarcus Cousins.  Asik is a very good defender, but behind him the Pelicans don't have much depth.  Jeff Withey is only in his second year and Alexis Ajinca weighs as much as one of Cousins' arms.  Anthony Davis is also not strong enough to guard Cousins, and that's a matchup the Kings should try to take advantage of if they get it.

3. The Kings can't expect Rudy Gay to play either, so someone is going to have to step up in his likely absence.  Ben McLemore is one such possibility, and Casspi will see more time as well.  It'd be a nice game for Ramon Sessions to bring some scoring punch and Nik Stauskas to get into a rhythm.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Tyreke Evans vs. Omri Casspi/Rudy Gay

Last year, the Kings did a very poor job of containing Tyreke Evans despite the fact that they knew his strengths and weaknesses better than any other team in the NBA.  Evans averaged 21 points on 48.3% from the field, 6.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds in four games against Sacramento, all numbers much higher than his season averages.  Sacramento especially had a hard time keeping him out of the lane.  Rudy Gay is questionable to play tonight or else he'd be guarding him, so it's likely up to Omri Casspi to guard Evans.  Evans has shown a lot of improvement as an outside spot shooter this year (46.4% from three on 3.1 attempts a game), but it's still preferable to let him settle for jumpers than get to the basket.  Right now he's shooting just 36.2% on two point field goal attempts, including a career-low 43% from 0-3 feet, but he's even worse from 3 feet to the three point line.  Evans is also New Orleans' leading passer at 7.2 assists a game, so forcing him to try to do things on his own will likely be part of the game plan as well.

PREGAME LIMERICK

It's the return of Jimmer Fredette,
and Johnny Salmons, how could we forget?
Plus there's Tyreke
and all his mystique,
So don't turn off your television set.

PREDICTION

Kings 104, Pelicans 103 after New Orleans' Game Winning attempt is a 1-4 flat for Tyreke Evans.

The Sacramento Kings today announced that Rudy Gay has been upgraded from questionable to probable to play with right achilles tendinitis.  Gay is leading the Kings in scoring at 22.5 points a game.

On the other side, New Orleans Pelicans' starting center Omer Asik is questionable with a sore lower back per Jim Eichenhofer.

Omer Asik (lower back pain) questionable for tonight's game in Sacramento. We'll have an update later today. Monty pregame media is 7:30 CT

— Jim Eichenhofer (@Jim_Eichenhofer) November 18, 2014

Asik missed the Pelicans' Monday night loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.  Alexis Ajinca started in his place and will probably do the same tonight should Asik not be able to go and second year player Jeff Withey will probably see time as well.  Asik is currently averaging 9 points and 10 rebounds a game for New Orleans, along with a 1.5 assists and 1.3 blocks in 27.3 minutes a game.

Mikey's all clean again!

Got official confirmation that Mike Conley’s technical foul from the Kings game really did get rescinded.

— Kevin Lipe (@FlyerGrizBlog) November 18, 2014

Conley's back to a perfect record, and all is well. Let's hope some other things clear up from this game in the Grizzlies' favor, too.