Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX.
Broadcast Information: KHTK Sports 1140 (Radio), Comcast SportsNet California (Local Television)
Sacramento Kings Probable Starters (9-5)
PG: Ramon Sessions
SG: Ben McLemore
SF: Omri Casspi
PF: Jason Thompson
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Houston Rockets Probable Starters (11-3)
PG: Isaiah Canaan
SG: James Harden
SF: Trevor Ariza
PF: Donatas Motiejunas
C: Tarik Black
Three things to ponder
1. Houston has a problem
Injuries have ravaged the Rockets’ roster. Starters Dwight Howard (knee), Terrence Jones (leg) and Patrick Beverley (hamstring) have missed a combined 21 games this season. But Houston has managed to stay afloat, and even upset the high-octane Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. The Kings can’t take their short-handed opponent lightheartedly.
2. Defending the deep ball
The Rockets lead the NBA in 3-point makes (12.1) and attempts (34.4). James Harden (6.9 3-point attempts per game) and Trevor Ariza (6.6) will be launching treys early and often, as will Jason Terry (4.4), Isaiah Canaan (4.1) Kostas Papanikolaou (4.1), Francisco Garcia (3.1) and Donatas Motiejunas (1.5). The Kings’ stout perimeter defense on the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday hints they should be up to the task.
3. Turnovers galore
While the Kings rank 25th in turnovers per game (14.7), the Rockets are 30th with 17.6 per contest. The sloppy team in the Toyota Center that values possessions and limits transition points off those miscues will likely come out ahead.
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