Kings Look To What Could Be The Final Game In Sacramento

Mar 24, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings fans hold signs during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Sacramento Kings face the Los Angeles Clippers as they will play what may their final game in Sacramento. The Kings will be in the second game in three years where the future of the team is completely in jeopardy.

The Kings face the Clippers in the final game of their season, and the fourth game against the Clippers. The Kings lost the first two meetings of the season by large margins, but beat the Clippers in the same fashion in their last meeting at Sleep Train Arena. The Kings will look to win tonight’s game and even the season series.
The Clippers are playing for home court advantage in the playoffs, and will bring everything they have tonight in what will be a very emotional game.

The Kings will be without the services of Tyreke Evans after he sustained an injury in the final minutes of the first quarter in Oklahoma City. Evans is listed as a game time decision, but Kings head coach Keith Smart has already said he prefer not to play his guard.

The Kings will need to dig deep against a very talented and athletic Clippers team, who is in the midst of playing some of their best basketball and fighting to secure home court advantage in the playoffs. The Kings will have another chance to play the role of spoilers, but will need a complete team effort. The Kingshave had problems coming out in the first quarter in their previous ten games, and will need to establish the tone early in tonight’s game. The Sacramento fans will surely be out in full force as the uncertainty of the Kings future remains.

The Kings will need to take advantage of the nearly sold out Sleep Train Arena and the near playoff atmosphere that will be surrounding the building. If the Kings can come out and establish the tone early and take advantage of the obvious emotion that surrounds tonight’s game, they should have the advantage. The Kings will see what Sacramento Kings fans were like before the seven year heart wrenching battle to keep the Kings began.

The Kings have had several problems with the Clippers this year, but with Demarcus Cousins establishing himself early in the last game, the Kings set the tone of the game, and held the Clippers to 18 points in the fourth quarter while scoring 38 themselves. The Kings will need to force the Clippers into playing more of a half court offense and must dedicate themselves to controlling the ball and keep the Clippers from getting into the open court and running their very dangerous fast break offense.

Sacramento will need to be very hard nosed on the defensive end, and will look for everyone on the bench to step up and provide a solid lift. The kings bench outscored the Clippers bench 62-38 in their last meeting.