Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook
Around SBN: Fighters React to Nick Diaz's Positive Drug Test

Preview: Kings at Rockets

Star-divide

Pleased to see ya, K-Mart.

TANGENT

Going to Sactown Royalty II: The Peachquel? Well then you might be interested in the official StR Night II t-shirt. We loved all the entries, but there could be just one winner. And that winner was M4L, a Kings fan lurker who submitted this gem:

Sactownroyaltynighttee_final_medium

Buy the t-shirt here. (Quickly, too: just two weeks until StR Night II has arrived.) (And FYI, no StR profit in this shirt -- the price is Spreadshirt's base production price.)

Still need StR Night II tickets? Buy 'em quick!

THE SCOUTING REPORT

HighTops has the word:

Houston has had the worst record of any team in the West during the last 10 games (3-7). They’ve fallen out of the playoff race and are currently tied with New Orleans, four games behind Portland for the 8th spot. The Rockets' success is based on defense and their ability to beat the weaker teams. They are 15-7 against sub-.500 teams and 15-22 against teams over .500. They hold their opponent under 100 ppg about 50% of the time. But when their opponent scores 100 pts or more, the Rockets are only 10-22.

Houston and Sacramento have almost identical PPG, FG%, and 3P%, but the Rocket’s allow four fewer ppg. In fact both teams have almost identical stats in Rebs, Blocks, Steals and Turnovers. And after starting out the season very well, both teams have done poorly since Jan. 1st. Houston is 8-11 at home and 3-9 on the road since New Year’s Day, and both teams are 2-4 since the trade deadline with the two wins coming at home.

Strangely, two games after the trade deadline that brought Kevin Martin to Houston, Rockets starting SG Trevor Ariza injured his hip and Martin moved into the starting SG spot. Similarly, three games after the deadline Jason Thompson had a back injury, guaranteeing Carl Landry, the other half of the big trade, the starting PF spot.

As good as Houston is defensively, they have a tendency of coming out at the beginning of games with a lack of energy and discipline.  But, as easy as it is for them to give up 60 in the first half, they’re more than capable of holding you to 40 in the second half to get back in the game. They won’t do it by blocking shots: they’re the fourth-worst shotblocking team in the league.

Rick Adelman is pretty much the same coach as he was in Sacramento.  Even back in December he had cut his rotations to eight or nine players, and even with all the player changes since the trade, he’s again into an 8- or 9-player rotation. And he’s playing all his starters extended minutes. Martin and Aaron Brooks are the backcourt and Shane Battier, Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes make up the frontline. With Ariza and Kyle Lowry on the injured list, Chase Budinger, David Andersen, and Jared Jefferies are his main reserves.

Martin’s game was off for the first couple of games, but since then he’s playing like the same Kevin that started the season for the Kings.  

"We’re playing better which is encouraging. I feel better about the way the team is playing and about the way we’re finding ways to score. We’re running more, we’re going to the free throw line more, and we’re getting easy baskets," said Scola. 

Martin is already Houston’s leading scorer-averaging 24.2 ppg on 42% field, 39% from three, and 92% from the FT line. In six games he’s already hit 50 of 56 from the foul line.

Aaron Brooks is 2nd in scoring with 19.7 ppg on 43% field, 39% from three, and 81% from the FT line. In the same six games he’s 13-16 from the line and averaging 23.8 ppg.

Shane Battier, the 8th year SF, is scoring 8.4 ppg on 42% field and 43% from 3’s and 7 rpg.

Luis Scola, their leading rebounder at 8 rpg, is scoring 12.5 ppg on 44.7% from the field.

Chuck Hayes, the 6-6 Center, who has started all 59 games this season, is scoring 4.5 pts/ 5.5 rebs on 47% shooting.

The two teams have played twice with the Kings wining at Arco Arena on November 13th 109-100. JT was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Kings with 27/12. Beno and Tyreke each played 40 minutes and combined for 42 pts, 9 rebs, and 8 assists while Brooks and Ariza combined for 38 pts, 7 rebs, and 10 assists. The Kings controlled the board 54-35 and the offensive glass 16-9. But the Kings turned the ball over 18 times to only 10 by the Rockets.

In the 2nd meeting two weeks later in Houston, the Rockets won 113-106 by outscoring the Kings 33-22 in the 4th quarter.  The Kings were without Tyreke, who had a hand injury.   Spencer Hawes was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Kings with 24/9, and the starting backcourt of Beno and Donte Greene combined for 31 pts. Omri had 13 pts off the bench, while Carl Landry scored 20 pts off Houston’s bench. In total Houston’s bench outscored the Kings bench 42-23. Houston won the rebounding battle 42-38 and 12-9 on the offensive glass, but Landry had a total of 7 rebounds with 4 offensive rebounds.

Neither team is playing exceptionally well, although the Kings did score over 100 pts against 2 good defensive teams, Utah and OKC. And the Kings defense has looked better with their new line-up. Martin and Landry seem to have worked themselves into their new teams line-ups fairly well.  But the lack of size on Houston’s front line should give the rebounding advantage to the Kings; although the Rockets 3-point shooting should keep them in every game.

Landry and Hayes are best friends and we might see Spencer defend Scola just so the friends can battle to see who’s best. Since Martin was out most of the year, Beno may have more experience guarding him, but that would leave the unenviable task of guarding Brooks to Tyreke. The game could very well come down to which team is best at defending the player that they traded away. Or, which team gets off to the best start.

THE KEY BATTLE

Luis Scola vs. Carl Landry. As HighTops notes, we could very well see Hayes stuck on Landry. But since each backcourt is stacked offensively, it could really come down to interior scoring, and Landry and Scola are the best on their respective teams in that category. Scola is skilled and crafty (deadly combo), while Landry is measured yet fierce. While Landry's numbers have improved over the past week, he's still not fully integrated into the Kings attack. Maybe he never will be -- the guard dominant play with splashes of post has worked well in the past three games. We'll see.

DISPARAGING NAME PAUL WESTPHAL WILL USE TO MOTIVATE SPENCER HAWES

Linda.

BOLD PROCLAMATION

The Rockets will have fewer than 27 offensive rebounds, but more than two.

BOLD-ER PROCLAMATION

Beno Udrih will bite on a Kevin Martin upfake.

BOLDEST PROCLAMATION OF ALL

Martin will get crossmatched on Tyreke Evans, and Martin will step back to prevent the drive, and Evans will drive anyways, and Evans will score.

DETAILS

5:30 PM PT. Two Game Threads (5:30 and 6:45) and a post-gamer (8:15).

Comment 71 comments  |  0 recs  | 

Do you like this story?

Comments

Display:

Hey TZ, does Westphal have a boy named Sue ?

So he has to use Linda so he doesn’t confuse Spencer with his own kid.

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
The greatest impact player in NBA History - Tim Donaghy

by HighTops on Mar 3, 2010 12:38 PM PST reply actions   1 recs

Looking forward to this game

Although it will certainly be bittersweet, seeing Kev in a Rockets jersey.

The NBA: "Where 27 free throws happens"

by lodisacfan on Mar 3, 2010 12:40 PM PST reply actions  

took the words right out of my mouth

bittersweet. It’s cool to see he’s getting his game back … and I have a feeling he might go off on us. 30+ plus.

by Dub_TC on Mar 3, 2010 12:42 PM PST up reply actions  

Hope the Kings win

and Speed goes off for 30+. Does that make me a bad person?

Purveyor of Bull Plop

by SayWhat? on Mar 3, 2010 12:44 PM PST up reply actions  

No

makes you a Kings and Kev fan, which I think a lot of us are.

by Dub_TC on Mar 3, 2010 12:48 PM PST up reply actions  

+1

The NBA: "Where 27 free throws happens"

by lodisacfan on Mar 3, 2010 12:49 PM PST up reply actions  

Yes it does.

Speed doesn’t need to be 30+ tonight. I hope whoever guards him, holds him below 20 points tonight.

To be the best, you have to do your best. Otherwise, you are only second-rate.

by Slam_Dunk on Mar 3, 2010 3:39 PM PST up reply actions  

I was thinking the same thing

only kmart for 40 with 20 Ft attempts but a kings win..

by morecasspi on Mar 3, 2010 4:14 PM PST up reply actions  

I really want to see Tyreke and Martin go at each other.

Might get a little chippy? Sounds fun.

Another flaw in the human character is that everybody wants to build and nobody wants to do maintenance. Vonnegut

by Ice_9ine on Mar 3, 2010 12:46 PM PST reply actions  

I really want to see who gets more rebounds...

Chuck Hayes or Linda Hawes.

Purveyor of Bull Plop

by SayWhat? on Mar 3, 2010 12:58 PM PST up reply actions  

Neither of them get chippy

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Mar 3, 2010 1:15 PM PST up reply actions  

Forget the preview

Those T-shirts are CLASSIC!
two purchased

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Mar 3, 2010 1:08 PM PST reply actions  

Thanks M4L!

Just great

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Mar 3, 2010 1:24 PM PST up reply actions  

Seriously

We got the e-mail and Insta-winner.

Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order and Originator of the "Brock Ness Monster".

by Aykis16 on Mar 3, 2010 1:50 PM PST up reply actions  

come on

Kmart vs Cisco

now THAT is what I can’t wait to see

Phil Jackson, after treatment for a kidney stone "When the anesthesiologist leaned over me, he said "We named your kidney stone Kobe because it's not passing."

by Ellimist on Mar 3, 2010 1:12 PM PST reply actions  

that should be fun

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Mar 3, 2010 1:15 PM PST up reply actions  

I thought I'd be disappointed if I lost the T-Shirt Contest

But after seeing how amazing the winner looks, I am honored to even be in the same contest as him… What a great shirt, good job!

Tyreke Evans for R.O.Y!

by sac-townz finest on Mar 3, 2010 1:19 PM PST reply actions  

Did they come large enough for the players to get them?

Go Hawes – GO!

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Mar 3, 2010 1:26 PM PST up reply actions  

Depends which players...

How many X’s does Sean May need, my guess is 6. XXXXXXL

by mike murray on Mar 3, 2010 3:59 PM PST up reply actions  

Kmart Vs. Cisco

would be like Bjax vs Bibby back in the day..

back and forth..
one on one.
I CANT WAIT!

by SantaCruzKing on Mar 3, 2010 1:27 PM PST reply actions  

yeah

Kev’s the better scorer and Cisco the better defender. who will win out?

by aizen07 on Mar 3, 2010 1:30 PM PST up reply actions  

I love Cisco

but I’m guessing Kev comes out on top there

by lead_pipe on Mar 3, 2010 2:29 PM PST up reply actions  

Come on with that

Back and forth? Martin threw up 50 this year, Garcia is a 7th man, with a 9.1 career scoring average. How back and forth could that be?

by mike murray on Mar 3, 2010 4:01 PM PST up reply actions  

I want

More Evans doing a little bit of everything and getting to the line 10+ times again. I am excited for this one, just got to go to calculus and zoology class and then beer and kings game woohoo!

by lemmetakeutodamovies on Mar 3, 2010 1:33 PM PST reply actions  

Battle Prediction: backcourt

In most of the last games our battles have been those of the bigs. We lose more games when our bigs lose big time.

That isn’t true for this game. Both teams have high scoring backcourts that get most of their points.

Houston in combining Martin with Brooks have created a super quick and uptempo duo that are going to be able to burn our frontcourt with their quickness. The question is can the strength and physicality of our frontcourt make up the difference in points.

I think this is the real battle.

by MustangMBS on Mar 3, 2010 1:34 PM PST reply actions  

Martin's going to

destroy us. I bet he goes for 35-40 range tonight.

by Smills9133 on Mar 3, 2010 1:41 PM PST reply actions  

How do you figure?

Martin is a high percentage scorer. If he were the kind that jacks up a ton of shots to get his points I could see it.

by MustangMBS on Mar 3, 2010 2:08 PM PST up reply actions  

Rec'd

For the bouncing the ball off Peaches’ lollipop head thing.

Purveyor of Bull Plop

by SayWhat? on Mar 3, 2010 4:24 PM PST up reply actions  

Prediction for GB&U records

Kings win, Rockets aren’t nearly as good a team as OKC, and with Lowry and Ariza out, their bench is much weakened. I also think Ime might see a lot of time on Kevin, because Tyreke doesn’t really play great off the ball defense, and I’d prefer to use Reke’s length to try to stop Brooks penetration. It will be interesting to see who guards Reke on the Houston side, probably Battier or Jeffries.

Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order and Originator of the "Brock Ness Monster".

by Aykis16 on Mar 3, 2010 2:01 PM PST reply actions  

Match ups

I don’t know about Tyreke on Brooks… Brooks is so quick and that is the one type of guard that Evans has a problem guarding. Martin is pretty quick as well, so this is a tough matchup. I can’t see good matchups that benefit the Kings here.

If it was me I would put Beno on Brooks and Tyreke on Martin. I would guess that Battier will guard Evans.

by MustangMBS on Mar 3, 2010 2:07 PM PST up reply actions  

Good call on the Battier on Reke, Aykis

"If you don't have anything good to say, LIE" - Mom
The greatest impact player in NBA History - Tim Donaghy

by HighTops on Mar 5, 2010 1:52 AM PST up reply actions  

Great job!

You should have your design as your avatar.

by MustangMBS on Mar 3, 2010 2:10 PM PST up reply actions  

Ha!

Way to sneak in the initials! Did you used to do graffiti?

By the way, great design. I just ordered my shirt.

"If you told him to head-butt the wall, he would do it." -- Paul Westphal re: Brockness Monster.

by PhutureKings on Mar 3, 2010 2:58 PM PST up reply actions  

Thanks Phuture

No real graffiti experience but I do try to keep up with the street culture trends. Obviously, comics are a big influence as well.

by M4L on Mar 3, 2010 3:43 PM PST up reply actions  

I'm writing a graphic novel...

Won’t be ready for an illustrator for awhile, but keep your ears and eyes open for someone who would want to work on a project like that, and might be interested in a percentage of the take versus getting compensated per page upfront. I know it’s not the most attractive offer…Unless the person believes in the project’s eventual success as much as I do.

"If you told him to head-butt the wall, he would do it." -- Paul Westphal re: Brockness Monster.

by PhutureKings on Mar 3, 2010 4:50 PM PST up reply actions  

Hey PK

a kid I used to have in High school ministry has finished 2 graphic novels, first one published and he used illustrators from Indonesia. Not trying to take away work from artists here but he had a very limited budget. The first book turned out great at about 10% of the cost.

There were a few cultural differences, when he had the characters sitting around a table and the table was at floor level. He had to send a picture of a dining table so the illustrator could see what it looked like. Other than that the project went very well. I can find info for you if interested.

"I make love to pressure" - Stephen Jackson

by Bluejohn on Mar 3, 2010 5:44 PM PST up reply actions  

I'm willing to consider it

Just let me know the details once your set, i’ll see what my schedule is like and we can go from there.

Or there’s the offer below.. no worries Bluejohn.

by M4L on Mar 3, 2010 5:56 PM PST up reply actions  

Definitely a great design

I think I’m actually going to buy a shirt.

Grandmaster of the "Never let AnotherStupidSN forget what a Sham-Wow is" Order and Originator of the "Brock Ness Monster".

by Aykis16 on Mar 3, 2010 2:51 PM PST up reply actions  

That's an awesome design M4L

Great job and welcome!!

"Children want what they want when they want it." ... Andy Sims

by edm7 on Mar 3, 2010 8:06 PM PST up reply actions  

I'd love to buy a shirt...

…sadly, though, I am above XXL, which means I cannot buy a shirt.

"Matthews, like so many before, did not expect the Yeti. No one ever expects the Yeti." ~ Ziller

by CaliforniaJag on Mar 4, 2010 8:22 PM PST up reply actions  

I'm going to buy it in the XXL

And then eventually get it modified to be bigger (and a different color).

No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....

I'm not sure Donald Sterling is a human being. He had to have been manufactured by someone, possibly David Stern, so that one team could solely just make profit for the NBA while doing nothing good for themselves. -- Aykis 16

by pookeyguru on Mar 4, 2010 8:26 PM PST up reply actions  

What happened

To the black STR shirt? I meant to purchase one of those…

Blessings.Love.Peace

by lifestyleforthesellout on Mar 3, 2010 3:07 PM PST reply actions  

Go Kings!

I hope we get our 20th win tonight! It’s going to have to be a huge game from Tyreke and Spencer I think to pull it out.

Kings rule! (They are royalty - right?)

by dalt99 on Mar 3, 2010 3:48 PM PST reply actions  

yep - we're finaly in the 20's

So imitate the action of the tiger!.
Lend the eye a terrible aspect
- and teach them how to war!
Henry V iii

by lietothegirls on Mar 3, 2010 4:03 PM PST up reply actions  

My Bad

I just saw the record on the front page and thought I must be mistaken. Whew, I’m glad the Kings’ have actually gotten to 20 wins!

Kings rule! (They are royalty - right?)

by dalt99 on Mar 3, 2010 4:24 PM PST up reply actions  

Those shirts are great.

I’m a Rockets fan and I want one.

Significant gravitas shortfall expected in 2010.

The Dreamshake

by Xiane on Mar 3, 2010 4:09 PM PST reply actions  

Agree.

It needs it’s own post. Front page, with an StR Night 2: The Peach-quel link inserted.

"If you told him to head-butt the wall, he would do it." -- Paul Westphal re: Brockness Monster.

by PhutureKings on Mar 3, 2010 4:46 PM PST up reply actions  

I second, third, and fourth this

It needs to be in the front page

"Children want what they want when they want it." ... Andy Sims

by edm7 on Mar 3, 2010 8:07 PM PST up reply actions  

Bold prediction

Kevin scores 40
Landry goes 24 & 9
Tryreke goes for a career high 36 along with 8 ast & 7 rebounds
Cisco scores 15 off 5-3 pointers
Kings win!

I love beating dead horses.

by allbenji's on Mar 3, 2010 5:28 PM PST reply actions   1 recs

got the most important part right on the money

and Landry was close at 22/10.

best of all, Kings win.

by betweentheeyes on Mar 3, 2010 8:52 PM PST up reply actions  

That was pretty bold - in hindsight, but you almost nailed Landry and the Kings win.

To be the best, you have to do your best. Otherwise, you are only second-rate.

by Slam_Dunk on Mar 3, 2010 10:09 PM PST up reply actions  

Oops! Hadn't read Bte to see that he already posted this same thing.

To be the best, you have to do your best. Otherwise, you are only second-rate.

by Slam_Dunk on Mar 3, 2010 10:09 PM PST up reply actions  

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to Sactown Royalty, the best community of Sacramento Kings fans in the universe. That's not my opinion; it's scientific fact.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Webber_in_tuxedo_small
A Story Within the Enemy Camp
Webber_in_tuxedo_small
Blackout Contest: 15 Houses, One Team
Stock-illustration-177633-hand-holding-lightning-bolt_small
Lookin' UP!
Purpled_small
The Official #TNTNight Chant and Sign Extravaganza Thread

Recent FanPosts

Keon_clark_small
Do We Need a Pass-First PG?
Wallpaper-slamson_small
Sacramento Kings & National TV Audience
Small
My Appeal to City Council
Screen_shot_2010-05-23_at_10
Sacramento Kings Fans Stuck in So Cal? Watch the game tonight at 33 Degrees and win free dinner and drinks!
Small
My email to Councilwoman Pannell
Ducktalesmoney_small
BLACKOUT CONTEST: Picking yourself up off the mat
Turtle_2_small
Blackout Contest: A youngster's perspective
Small
Blackout Contest: The Best Fans in the World
More_cowbell_small
Blackout Contest - A world filled with purple

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >


Editor

Loofie_small Tom Ziller

Joe_kleine_small section214

Demarcus_thornton_small Aykis16

Associate Editor

Coachie_small rbiegler

Banana2_small Exhibit G