Sacramento's road trip continues with a weekend in Florida as the Kings start the first night of a back-to-back against the Orlando Magic. Orlando has been a little bit better since firing Jacque Vaughn, but not a whole lot better. The two teams tip off at 4:00 on Comcast SportsNet California and KHTK Sports 1140.
3 THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. The last time these two teams played, DeMarcus Cousins wasn't available and the Magic ended up running the Kings out of their own gym. It was one of the final games under Mike Malone and a testament to just how important Cousins is to the team. Cousins is a little beat up at the moment, but he should be available and provide an option for Sacramento that Orlando will have a tough time dealing with.
2. Orlando's a young team, but they're not without some nice pieces. Nik Vucevic is one of the better offensive centers in the league today, Tobias Harris is a very good young wingman and Victor Oladipo is looking to be a future star. If Sacramento isn't careful, this Magic team has several ways it can hurt you.
3. One way the Kings should look to take advantage of the Magic is by getting to the paint. Orlando is 29th in the league in blocks and 24th in fouls. They have quite a few athletes but are inexperienced and lack rim protection.
MATCHUP OF THE GAME
Nik Vucevic vs. DeMarcus Cousins
Vucevic is a load inside and for Sacramento to win they can't afford to have him go toe-to-toe with Cousins. Fortunately for Sacramento, Vucevic is still far from a good defender and Cousins could look to get him in foul trouble early. If Vucevic is unable to play big minutes, Orlando's rebounding and offensive woes should be exacerbated even further.
PREGAME LIMERICK
Orlando's got some talented young men,
such as the rookie Elfrid Payton,
but don't Google Fournier,
trust me, okay.
We're not going through this again.
PREDICTION
Kings 109, Magic 94 as Andre Miller rebukes the Magic players for scoring and tells them they're grounded.