Sacramento Kings: Game 39 Preview vs Cleveland Cavaliers
The Sacramento Kings host the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 13, 2017. This article provides a preview of that game from a Kings’ perspective.
The Cleveland Cavaliers make their lone trip to Sacramento to take on the Kings tonight at the Golden 1 Center. This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season. On Wednesday, January 25th, the Kings head to Cleveland for the final meeting.
The Kings secured a much-needed win in their last game against the Detroit Pistons. The Kings have one win and three losses on this current home stand. With three games to go on this home stand, the Kings can still salvage a winning record if they win out.
Without further ado, let us get to the game preview for tonight’s contest between the Sacramento Kings and the defending NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers.
Injuries
Sacramento Kings
The Kings enter yet another contest with the injury report empty. It looks like Sacramento should head into the game completely healthy.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers, also, enter tonight’s contest with a nonexistent injury report. This is the fifth game on the Cavs six-game road trip, so stay tuned for any late breaking news.
Stay Alert
As always, the injury report can change rapidly as tipoff approaches, so be sure to check twitter or watch the pregame show to ensure you have the necessary information before the start of tonight’s game.
Cleveland Cavaliers’ Scouting Report
The Cleveland Cavaliers enter tonight’s contest with a record of 28 wins and 10 losses. That is the best record in the Eastern Conference and currently the fourth-best record in the NBA.
The Cavaliers struggle a bit on the road, though. Cleveland has just 10 wins in 17 road games. They have, also, lost two consecutive road games heading into their battle against the Kings.
Last time out, the Cavaliers lost 102-86 in Portland against the Trail Blazers. It was the second of a back-to-back for Cleveland, but they did not rest any of their star players. Below is a highlight video from that game to give you a look at the Cavaliers most recent form.
This Cavaliers team needs no introduction. They have been in the NBA finals two straight seasons breaking through and winning the NBA Championship last season. They are led by 4-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James. A hometown kid and arguably the greatest player of this generation he needs no introduction. Neither do running mates Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love, two perennial All-Stars.
I will take a moment to mention the newest Cavalier, Kyle Korver. Korver is a true sharpshooter. He gives Cleveland just one more threat on offense after recently being acquired from the Atlanta Hawks. Korver has only played in two games with the Cavs, so he may not be fully up to speed yet, but continue to monitor how he fits in with this already special Cleveland squad.
What to Watch for?
Defending DeMarcus
It will be interesting to see how the Cleveland Cavaliers go about guarding DeMarcus Cousins tonight. I suspect they will use Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson to do the majority of the work. Both matchups seem to favor Cousins, so the potential is there for a big Boogie night tonight.
If you want to see the statistical line that I predicted for DeMarcus Cousins or any other Kings’ player then check out my predicting the box score column found here. Hopefully, it is a fast and informative read if you are so inclined. Thank you.
Rotation Headaches Not Going Away
More from A Royal Pain
I have remarked about Coach Joerger’s rotations all season and how they can be difficult to pinpoint. I stumbled upon this great article on Anthony Tolliver from the Sacramento Bee that made me think the shifting of the rotations will only continue. Give it a read to see what I mean, but Coach Joerger’s comments seem pretty clear.
I am hoping he sticks with the nine-man rotation and continues to give consistent minutes to the same nine players, even if he changes who is starting and coming off the bench. I think that continuity will do the Kings some good and hopefully get them over the hump in the playoff push.
The King vs The Kings
LeBron James has played very well against the Kings in his career. In 22 games, James has averaged 39.2 minutes, 27.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 block, and 1.5 three-pointers made per game. Expect another big performance out of Mister James against the Kings tonight.
Summary
There you have it, my game preview of tonight’s contest between the Sacramento Kings and the Cleveland Cavaliers. I am sure it will be a packed house inside the Golden 1 Center, so be sure to tune in from home if you cannot get a ticket. It should be a fun game and a chance to see how the Kings stack up against one of the NBA’s elite teams.
Be sure to check back to A Royal Pain for postgame content and everything you need to know about the Kings this season. Thank you for reading.
