Gametime: 6:00 pm PDT
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, CO.
Broadcast Information: KHTK Sports 1140 (Radio), Comcast SportsNet California (Local Television)
Sacramento Kings Probable Starters (2-1)
PG: Darren Collison
SG: Ben McLemore
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Jason Thompson
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Denver Nuggets Probable Starters (1-1)
PG: Ty Lawson
SG: Aaron Afflalo
SF: Danilo Gallinari
PF: Kenneth Faried
C: Timofey Mozgov
Three things to ponder
1. Suffocation
The Nuggets are well-adjusted to their high-altitude home, but the Kings can smother them by continuing to play their new aggressive style defense. And to Sacramento’s benefit, Denver’s offense has struggled to find a rhythm to open the year, currently shooting 39.4 percent from the floor as a team. Aaron Afflalo and Kenneth Faried lead the Nuggets in scoring with 14.5 points per game apiece. But without a go-to option and stagnant ball movement, the Kings will try to choke them out with their new found defensive intensity.
2. Production at shooting guard
Through three games, the combination of Ben McLemore and Nik Stauskas have shot 7-for-31 from the floor (5-for-18 behind the arc) and contributed close to nil in the form of rebounds and assists. Tonight they will face off against Afflalo, one of the league’s elite wing defenders and an overall solid two-way player. The young shooting guards will have their hands full.
3. The elusive two-game road winning streak
The last time the Kings won two straight games on the road was on March 27 and 28, 2013 when they defeated the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns respectively. With the Los Angeles Clippers out of the way, Sacramento needs to continue feeding Cousins and avoid playing down to fellow lottery team Denver.
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