The Kings have been on a bit of a roll since the All-Star break, winning five of their seven games since the break. However, only one of those wins came against a team currently over .500. The Kings don’t have many of those games left, and few as important as tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, the team directly ahead of the Kings in the Playoff Standings. Currently, the Clippers are a half game ahead of the Kings for the 8th spot, but they also lead the season series 2-0, effectively adding another game if the Kings lose the series. I’ts gonna be an uphill climb for the Kings on the road without two of their best players again, but hopefully they can handle the pressure and come out on top.
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Sunday, March 9th, 6:30 PM PT
Where: Intuit Dome, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN, NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM
For Your Consideration
The Clippers have not had a good start to their post All-Star break run, going 3-6 since the break. Norman Powell, the team’s leading scorer, has been out for much of that stretch and will remain out tonight against the Kings. The Clippers still have the services of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard to call upon though, along with a solid rotation featuring guys like Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr. and former King Bogdan Bogdanovic.
The Kings haven’t played the Clippers since November when Mike Brown was still the head coach and the team looked very different. Sacramento struggled to score in both of those games, failing to break 100 points against a tough Clippers defense despite the fact that Kawhi Leonard missed both games. The Clippers have been one of the NBA’s best defenses this entire season though, tied with the Orlando Magic for 2nd in the league in Defensive Rating. It helps make up for their lackluster offense, which is just 20th. In fact, much of the Clippers offense comes due to their defense, as they rank 2nd in the NBA in points off turnovers at 20 a game. They also do a good job at limiting teams from getting second chance points, allowing the second fewest in the league.
The Clippers aren’t a flashy team that is going to dominate you in one way or another. They are just consistently good across the board for the most part and rely more on their hard work and effort to turn the tides. The Kings will need to match their intensity on both ends of the court. The Kings have more offensive firepower than the Clippers, even with Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk’s continued absence. Zach LaVine has been shooting the lights out since the All-Star break, and the Kings will need him to continue to do so. LaVine played against the Clippers just once this season, but it was a fantastic performance of 35 points on 11-21 from the field in a 13 point Bulls win.
The Clippers like to slow the game down, and they’ve been successful at that in both games against the Kings, getting Sacramento out of their game and forcing their own will. James Harden, having a down season in terms of statistics, has looked much like the old James Harden in both games against the Kings, with Sacramento sending him to the line way too much (19 attempts in two games). The Kings need to figure out a way to defend Harden without falling for his tricks, and I expect the Kings will give him several different looks, but Keegan Murray might be best suited for the job.
Both teams know how important this game is for the eventual playoff standings. The Kings have yet to take one against the Clippers this season, so a loss tonight means the Kings would have to get a full game on the Clippers down the road to avoid losing any potential tiebreakers. It’d also be nice for morale for the Kings to beat an actual playoff contender, something they haven’t done since beating the Timberwolves back in early February (I’m not counting the injury plagued Mavericks). The Kings have another game back at home tomorrow against the Knicks as well, so getting a win tonight be a nice start to the week.
Prediction
Keegan Murray locks up James Harden in the clutch and the Kings escape LA with a hard fought win.
Kings 114, Clippers 109
