Kings star DeMarcus Cousins didn’t hold back after a recent loss to Oklahoma City, blaming his slump for the team’s struggles. And Sacramento needs their big man to perform if they expect to win. The Kings are 1-7 in games he doesn’t play and 0-3 in games when he plays like (crud).
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LOOK AHEAD
The Kings anticipated a rough start to the season. Throughout training camp coach George Karl talked about the difficult early-season schedule and his hope the Kings might steal some wins by catching good teams on an off-night. But they are optimistic despite their record and struggles to find consistency due to injuries and lineup changes. Sacramento is 1-7 without All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, and Darren Collison and Rudy Gay also have missed time in the early season. First-round pick Willie Cauley-Stein is out until January with a dislocated finger. Though the Kings are better suited to deal with injuries because of a deeper roster, Cousins’ production is hard to replace when he’s out of the lineup. A lack of trust in backup point guard Seth Curry led to Rajon Rondo playing nearly 48 minutes a night. Even when all their players are healthy, the Kings have areas that must improve if they are to move closer to a playoff spot and not closer to the Lakers.
INJURIES
Kings center Willie Cauley-Stein, the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, will miss four to six weeks after dislocating his right index finger. He’s averaging 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Scouts who follow the Kings recently have noticed that Cousins is not moving as well as he has in the past, and he often trails the play, which hints that he might be hurting or out of shape. He missed three games last week because of a back injury but didn’t blame his recent poor play on his back.
KEY MATCHUP
Rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis has stolen the spotlight from the rest of the first-year class in the NBA, and rightfully so with his freakish ability in a 7-foot-3 frame. He’s drawn comparisons to other European players, most notably Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki, a Euro pioneer and Porzingis’ idol, and Chicago’s Pau Gasol. There is a quality about Porzingis that is difficult to quantify, a manner of speaking that suggests he knows his place while also sharing the belief, in no uncertain terms, that he belongs. This is rare in players so young. The Knicks are not close to claiming an NBA title and remain a long shot to make the playoffs. But in Porzingis, who scored 28 points in a matchup with his idol on Monday night, they suddenly have a skilled big man who does the little things as well as the noticeable ones. He’s averaging 14.6 points per game with nearly nine rebounds while shooting 46 percent from the floor. He has the range to knock down a three and the moves to get to the hole. And when he gets to the foul line he knocks down 84.5 percent of his shots. He gets a favorable matchup against the Kings, who are without their big man Cauley-Stein and Cousins can’t guard him, leaving him free to roam around the basket.
ODDS AND PREDICTION
The Kings need their superstar to break out of his slump or the season could be lost before it even gets going. A brutal early-season stretch of games against the best teams in the Western Conference had the Kings expecting a slow start, especially as they try to integrate several new players into Karl’s rotation. A stretch of upcoming games against middle-of-the-pack teams could be a better gauge and tell us more about what this team has. But they need Cousins to perform to the level that got him selected to last year’s All-Star team. Sacramento will have a tough time defending Porzingis because they have no one able to combat his size and skill. Watch for plenty of double-teams and possibly some zone looks to offset what the Knicks big man can do. If Carmelo Anthony has a solid shooting night the Kings are in trouble. But after some tough games, they are ready for a win and Cousins delivers.
Sacramento 106, New York 98
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Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings will take place Thursday, December 10, 2015, at 10:30 p.m. ET at Sleep Train Arena. The contest will be broadcast nationally on TNT.
