me<\/a> to preview today’s Kings\/Rockets game.<\/p>\n1. Match-up to watch?
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nMichael Pina:<\/strong>\u00a0If they’re paired up against one another, Kyle Lowry going up against the bigger Tyreke Evans could be an incredibly interesting matchup. When up against scoring point guards, Lowry plays man-to-man defense with a personal side vendetta, and Evans is certainly one to try and embarrass would-be harassment. The winner of this battle could decide the game.<\/p>\nJustin Verrier: <\/strong>\u00a0Jimmer Fredette vs. Kevin Martin. They probably won\u2019t guard each other (even though, for comedy\u2019s sake, they really should), but each has reason to pay close attention to the other. Martin is the type of hyper-efficient gunner Fredette should aspire to be, while Fredette has the type of notoriety the perpetually under-the-radar Martin probably deserves. Perhaps we can merge the two into some mighty-morphing basketball player. Then again, the defensive horror show it\u2019d produce is something not even Doc Frankenstein could conjure up.<\/p>\nJonathan Santiago: \u00a0<\/strong>DeMarcus Cousins vs. Samuel Dalembert. \u00a0It’ll be interesting to see if Dalembert can keep Cousins off the offensive glass. \u00a0With 50 boards so far, the Kings big man is currently ranked second in total offensive rebounds, only behind the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Kevin Love.<\/p>\n2. Stat that decides the game…<\/strong><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nMichael Pina:<\/strong>\u00a0So far this season neither team is shutting anybody down on the defensive end (they both sit at the league’s bottom five for defensive efficiency). In the end, if DeMarcus Cousins can stay aggressive on the offensive glass and continue to dominate his battles with opposing big men\u2014extending possessions and grabbing between 5-8 of them throughout the contest\u2014the advantage lies with Sacramento, a team that holds the second best offensive rebound rate in the league.<\/p>\nJustin Verrier:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0The Kings\u2019 33.7 free-throws-drawn rate (sixth-best in the NBA). Well, we know they aren\u2019t going to create scoring opportunities through ball movement. But if the Kings can crash their way to the free-throw line against the Rockets, one of the least foul-prone teams in the league, they have a shot.<\/p>\nJonathan Santiago: \u00a0<\/strong>Halftime score. \u00a0How about this fun fact? \u00a0This season, the Kings are 2-0 when leading at intermission and just 2-6 when trailing.<\/p>\n3.\u00a0Who’s missed more – Chuck Hayes with Rockets or Samuel Dalembert with the Kings?<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nMichael Pina:<\/strong>\u00a0In Sacramento’s case, Dalembert’s departure opens up more minutes and opportunity for an actual offensive talent at the position (although the team is allowing 74.7 percent shooting at their own rim, dead last in the league). With Houston, the loss of Chuck Hayes has yet to be solved. There’s little to no interior defense in the 30 minutes a game where Dalembert is on the bench, and the Rockets are crying for Hayes’ stability right now.<\/p>\nJustin Verrier:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0How about Chuck Hayes from the Kings? (Did I just blow your mind?) Although letting Dalembert walk in free agency instead of trading him at the deadline was a perplexing move, the Kings are just as bad on defense as they were with him last season (106.3 defensive efficiency in 2010-11, 105.6 now). With Hayes hobbled, though, Sacramento loses what little hope it had of improving defensively and the lone adult on a roster full of kiddies. Now Cousins and Evans are mostly free to take as many shots and give as many Wet Willies as they want.<\/p>\nJonathan Santiago: \u00a0<\/strong>I think the Rockets’ miss Hayes more-so than the Kings miss Dalembert. \u00a0We’ve learned so far that Hayes is very vocal on defense, making sure players are in the right spots on that end of the floor. \u00a0I’m not sure that the Rockets have that steadying presence on the defensive end anymore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sacramento Kings try to win their second consecutive road win tonight against familiar faces in Houston.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[610259261],"tags":[4595344,5204276,76542,610259592,15283471,610259423,610259059,1027796,109282,1419908,1433196,610259346,2629175],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Game 12 Preview: Kings at Rockets - The Sports Daily<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n