The Sacramento Kings are back in action tonight after getting three days off because they are one of the worst teams in the NBA Cup this year. They will look to take advantage of the free time and prove they can beat the Pelicans at least once a season. Have the Pelicans lost a million key players? Secure. Have they lost 17 of their last 19 games? Absolutely. Can they still beat? The Sacramento Kings roster? You can bet they’ll make it.

Let’s talk Kings basketball.

When: Thursday, December 12, 5:00 p.m. PST
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
TV: NBCSCA
radio: Sactown Sports 1140am

For your consideration

Harassment in New Orleans: Okay, let’s start right here, in the middle of the action, because I’m a little nervous that a win against Wemby-less Spurs and against a 5-win Jazz side has made many of us feel a certain way. Yes, the Pelican roster is missing Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jose Alvarado and several other backup players, and yes, of course they currently have the worst record in the West. But this is still the Kings team that was desperate for help, that we were all desperate for change and that dropped a bundle of fear on our shoulders just 11 days ago after losing six of seven games. The win in Houston was a good, solid win, the loss in Memphis was more like what we saw in November, and these last two wins by 140+ points were nice but ultimately rather poor. I’m happy to go with the Ws, but let’s remember a little context here before we jump straight into the most trapping game of the year. Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III are more than enough to keep up with the Kings tonight. It’s more than enough shots, enough playmaking and enough defensive skills to pull off a victory against a Kings team that has spent countless years underestimating its opponents, leaving room where there shouldn’t be any, and ultimately by the to be beaten by inferior teams. I hate that writing (and reading) previews this season has been a sort of Sisyphean task, sitting behind that keyboard, warning that the opposing team is better than the general consensus, and then watching the Kings do the same to them leaving a winnable game, while some wonder how it could go wrong. This Kings team didn’t impress me that they are changed and completely out of the woods and going in the right direction.

Oddly enough, a win against the team with the worst record in the West would do me more good than against the last two teams they played. Call it last season’s PTSD if you like. Tell me I’m ignoring the stats or haven’t seen enough of the Pels to understand how bad they are, but you know, I do NOT trust the Kings much more than I fear the Pelicans. CJ McCollum may have shot 31.4% from deep this season, but he has never faced a Kings three-point defense that has absolutely given up points from deep all season. Highly sought after winger Herb Jones is at 29% from deep and if he hits 8 threes tonight, are you really going to protest or call it a blip? The same goes for Trey Murphy, who is averaging a career-high 18.0 points per game, or Brandon Boston Jr., who is currently giving really good minutes as a backup in an expanded role. The Pelicans attempt the third-fewest number of three-pointers and shoot them at the fifth-worst rate of 32.7%. How much would you bet tonight on the Kings keeping them within 3%, 5%, or heck, 10% of that? They are the lowest scoring team in the NBA with 105 points per game. Will three days of rest and practice combined with three wins in the last four games be enough to give the Kings the tools they need to actually stop New Orleans?

It’s obvious (and I’m sure disgusting) that I have far more questions than answers or analysis with the Kings at this point. After three days of training to solidify the things they had to adjust on the fly at the start of this season, I can’t imagine anything bad coming from this break. But I don’t have to imagine it. The last time the Kings had three days off, they came out in the very next game and scored 29 goals in one half against the Clippers. Yes, it’s true that the Pelicans are not the Clippers. But it remains to be seen, the real crucial point will be: How many of these kings of today are the kings of just 20 days ago?

forecast

Treadmill parades, people crying in the streets, cats and dogs living in harmony. The Kings beat the Pelicans AND snap their first three-game winning streak since late October.

Kings: 130, Pelicans: 119