Rockets Visit Kings to Wrap Up NBA Cup Group Stage
California Dreaming. 4 The Cup. Extinguish the Beam.
The Houston Rockets begin a three-game road-trip on the left coast out West tonight as they visit the reeling Sacramento Kings. After tonight, Houston will visit Golden State on Thursday, as they try and end their forever-slide against their hated, rival Warriors. Finally, their West-Coast trip ends with a matchup in L.A. at the brand new Intuit Dome against the Clippers. It will be Houston’s first look at “The Wall”, the Clippers’ infamous “fans-only” section that’s already frustrating opposing players. I’ll dive deeper into this intriguing new building as Sunday’s match approaches. Basically, it’s this tilt begins a tough road trip for the Rockets, and presents another early-season measuring stick for this battle-tested young squad. For now, back to tonight’s game.
This matchup marks the final NBA Cup Group Stage game for both teams. Houston has already clinched a berth in the knockout round. Meanwhile, Sacramento has been eliminated. The Kings currently sit in 12th place in the West, with a 9-12 record. Only two seasons removed from a stellar year where they finished third in the conference, Sacramento has regressed once again to begin the year. The Rockets went 3-0 against the Kings last year, but they have to maintain their discipline tonight. Sacramento still boasts plenty of talented players.
De’Aaron Fox is still one of the best crunch time players in the NBA. Domantas Sabonis is a beast inside. Expect a tough battle for Alperen Sengun tonight against another physical, talented big man. Sengun’s started slow in the last three games, but he’s made up for that with dominant second halves. Hopefully, The Wizard has a better first half tonight. This is the site where Sengun suffered his season-ending injury last year. The Rockets have to be extremely thankful they’ve suffered no major injuries to start the season. This Houston squad truly defines playing as a team, and an injury to a key piece could fracture the squad’s future success.
Besides their dynamic All-Star duo, the Kings also have a newly acquired All-Star, in DeMar DeRozan, who played for the Chicago Bulls last season. Sac-Town’s “Big Three” of Fox, Sabonis, and DeRozan combined to score 76 points in the Kings’ previous game, a two point loss at home, to the San Antonio Spurs. They may not be winning at the rate of the previous two seasons, but they still boast a plethora of All-Star talent. Houston has to remain focused defensively, and can’t afford to overlook this Kings team, or they’ll be in store for a loss.
Sacramento has a tradition where they “Light the Beam” after winning games at home. But these Rockets have other plans, as they can clinch the number one overall seed in the West’s knockout round of the NBA Cup with a win. Tonight’s battle marks the first of three straight tough road tests for the young squad. It’s not impossible to dream up three straight wins in California, especially given the squad’s recent performances. This is Houston’s weakest opponent on this road trip, as the Rockets will aim to keep the Kings reeling… and prevent any beams from being lit in Sac-Town on Tuesday night.
Golden 1 Center: Sacramento, California
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (15-6): White
Sacramento Kings (9-12): Purple
Tip-Off: 9:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass