The Sacramento Kings (9-6) fall to the Rockets in Houston by a final of 102-89. DeMarcus Cousins dominates, scoring 29 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and three blocks, but turns the ball over seven times in the loss. The Kings struggle in the second night of a back-to-back, turning the ball over 21 times and allowing Isaiah Canaan to go off for a career-high 24 points.
Join James Ham and Rui Thomas for the Road Reaction Postgame Show on Google+ after the game. The show can be watched on the video player embedded below. You can also join the discussion of tonight’s game by leaving a comment at the bottom of the page.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj84aPCT_Gg]Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound
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What to watch
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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