Sacramento Kings Look To Spoil Pacers' Weekend As Tyreke Evans Returns

The Sacramento Kings next battle the Indiana Pacers (4 PM Pacific, Comcast SportsNet). With two wins in three games on the current five-game road trip, the Kings get Tyreke Evans back. Evans has been out 19 games since a flare-up and treatment for his plantar fasciitis; he last played before the All-Star break. In his stead, Marcus Thornton has starred for the Kings, averaging 21.8 points per game on .589 True Shooting percentage.

How well they play off one another is a major question for the remainder of the Kings' season, and one we probably won't find an answer to tonight. Remember that Paul Westphal is coaching for wins, and Evans will likely be more comfortable playing with Beno Udrih and Francisco Garcia than Thornton. While we should fully expect Thornton and Evans to be on the court together, it might not be as common a pairing as it could be in the future.

The Pacers are also playing for wins. Indiana is up three on the Bucks and Bobcats in the East, closing in on securing that No. 8 spot. The Kings definitely helped the Pacers out by beating the Bucks on Wednesday; it's only fair that Sacramento return the favor to Milwaukee. A win would guaranteed a winning road trip for Sacramento, something rare and encouraging.

HighTops has the scouting report. Game threads at 4 and 5:30. Woo Kings!