Kings vs. Rockets Preview: Can Sacramento give Houston problems again?

Matinee basketball is back at Golden One Center as the Kings host the Houston Rockets on Sunday. Sacramento will look to make it two wins in a row against Houston and three in a row overall.

Marvin Bagley III had his best offensive game of the season in their first matchup on Friday, scoring 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Hopefully, that performance gets repeated this afternoon against a Rockets frontline which is not the most stout.

The Rockets, much like the Kings are horrific on the defensive end. The Rockets rank dead last in the NBA in defensive rating, while the Kings are not much better at 26th best in the league.

Both of these teams’ lack of defense was on full display Friday night as there wasn’t much protection at the basket for either team.

Sunday is another opportunity for the Kings to defeat a team with a worse record than them. It’s important the Kings capitalize now. because the schedule will start to get difficult in the coming weeks as the Kings head out east.

The Kings will have to create their own energy and momentum Sunday as their game is happening concurrently with the San Francisco 49ers’ playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys, so I’d expect the arena to be pretty empty. These afternoon games always seem to have strange energy, so expect that to an even greater degree on Sunday.

How to Watch/Listen: NBC Sports California, Sports 1140 KHTK

Opposing Perspective: Dream Shake

Spread: Kings -6

Moneyline: Kings -235, Rockets +190

SAC injuries/absences: Richaun Holmes - Questionable (Conditioning), Damian Jones - Questionable (Conditioning)

HOU injuries/absences: None