Indiana Pacers (7-12) vs. Sacramento Kings (9-9)
The Indiana Pacers went 4 minutes without a basket in the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, and against a team as talented as Portland, that ended up resulting in a loss. But there were some positives to take out of the game, including one of the better defensive night’s of the year for Indiana, holding the NBA’s 7th ranked scoring offense to only 88 points. They won’t face as strong as an offense tonight in the Sacramento Kings, but it is worth keeping an eye on to see if the defensive changes (starting Rodney Stuckey, in particular) continue to help the Pacers slow down the pace of the game.
That task will be a little bit easier with DeMarcus Cousins not in the lineup tonight as Ryan Hollins fills in. Hollins has started at center in last three games with Cousins out, but has only managed 2 points and 1 rebound against the Toronto Raptors in the Kings last game. Hollins is clearly out there for his defense, but Roy Hibbert should be looking at a chance to win the matchup by getting almost anything going for himself offensively. The Pacers will be more concerned about Rudy Gay and his 21.1 points per a game, as well as his ability to pass as he has 4.4 assists a game so far this season. The point guard position for Sacramento will be former Pacer Darren Collison and his 15.1 points a game. With Cousins not in and having a 32% usage rate, it has given the Kings a more even approach on the floor, but expect Gay to get most of those extra possessions.
Tonight will be a chance for Indiana to snap a three game losing streak while Sacramento looks to snap their four game skid. Indiana will have to avoid what feels like another inevitable scoring drought in the second half if they want to pick up a win on the road.
Who to watch on the Kings: Rudy Gay is clearly the leading force outside of Cousins on this Kings team and he will face the tough defense of the Pacers. Most likely Solomon Hill will be tasked with trying to hold down Gay and if he can keep him under 20 points, the Pacers chances of winning just got a little bit better.
Who to watch on the Pacers: Damjan Rudez cut into Chris Copeland’s minutes last night in Portland. Copeland had only five points on 2 of 9 shooting, and while Rudez only had five points as well, his defense is better and didn’t shoot nearly as poorly.
The Big Question
Can the Kings win without Boogie? The Kings have lost all 14 games the last two seasons without him. Makes since especially this year when he’s knocking down 23.5 points, 12.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game. Insert something here about Cousins growing up under coach Mike Krzyzewski and Team USA.
Betting Line
The Kings are a -3.5 home favorite with a over/under of 191.5. I think The Pacers cover (maybe even get the win) in a low scoring game, so I’d the under.
One Random Thing
This has nothing to do with basketball, but it is my favorite thing I found on the internet this week.