Fresh off 12 rounds against the Bucks, the Sacramento Kings have hit the road for a four game road trip – their first stop, Chicago. Coming up against a team six games south of .500 and fighting for their very play-in lives, the Bulls come into tonight winners in five of their last eight contests with a top-10 hardest schedule left in the NBA between them and true professional mediocrity. Has being the third seed for two months turned me into a cocky know-it-all? Will De’Aaron Fox be able to best Patrick Beverley’s snarky defense? Does Zach LaVine ever day dream about what life would be like if the Bulls hadn’t matched the contract that Vlade gave him all those years ago? A RESOUNDING YES TO ALL!
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Wednesday, March 15th, 5:00 PM PT
Where: United Center, Chicago, IL
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
For Your Consideration
Messing With Bulls: The Chicago Bulls of these last few years are the kind of team that come across my mind mere moments before sleep takes me for the night and I wind up spending the next 45 minutes remembering why I am so fond of franchises outright tanking to rebuild. This isn’t to say I’m against what the Kings have done this year or that I’m doom posting already about a crash that has yet to happen – I’m simply saying that I’m glad we’re in the “Kings are young enough and good enough to matter!!” phase of things. Monte McNair threaded the finest of needles and up to this juncture, it has worked. I’m all for it.
The Bulls on the other hand – man, woof. They’re a cautionary tale right now. The acquisitions of Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic were all fantastic on paper and when it worked, when they were all healthy and playing, that team hummed like the chorus at the end of Act Two of Madam Butterfly. They were going to have a few years of Eastern Conference legitimacy, they were.
And now we’re here. Lonzo’s mysteriously nagging issues derailed this squad, Zach LaVine being unable to suite up for more than 60-ish games a season helped roll it to the edge of a cliff and the stunted growth of many of their youthful acquisitions have just stalled any help that might be on the way.
I hope I don’t sound like I’m beating up on the Bulls – I thought Karnisovas was a breath of fresh air coming into Chicago and finally treating them like the big city franchise they pretended they weren’t for the last decade or so. They just rolled the dice on injury prone guys and a draft pick or two and it hasn’t worked out.
I see the injury luck we’ve had this season, especially in comparison to the rest of the West and I get that tingle of hope that all the good luck we’ve been banking for 16 years is finally coming to us… and not that we, like the Bulls, are actually pulling luck from our future endeavors.
Do they really compare? Not too much. The Kings are much younger and in a better place financially and picks wise right now. But we’re another big move away from pushing our chips all the way in and being right there at the start of 2022 in Chicago, with a 27-11 record and things looking brighter than they had in forever.
Kangz is a state of mind and one that might need therapy, and more than one season of success, to kick.
Okay, onto the game for a second: the Bulls are 6th in defensive rating and 24th in offensive rating, they run at an average pace and as long as Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan are healthy enough to step out on an NBA floor, they’ve got enough talent to beat the Kings. They won’t be doing it from behind the arc (30th in attempts, 14th in percentage) and they won’t be giving the Kings any Josh Hart flashbacks (27th in offensive rebounds) but they’re still a talented team fighting for a shot at the playoffs.
Something of note: The Bulls give up the 4th most attempts from deep in the NBA and allow teams to shoot nearly 36% from range… so if you enjoyed Kevin Huerter against the Bucks on Monday night, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him go off again tonight.
Prediction
Kevin Huerter, thirty piece. Domantas Sabonis: triple double with an insane assist count. De’Aaron Fox, no clutch points because they don’t need ’em. Keegan Murray, 5 threes and a smile.
Kings: 130, Bulls: 114
In Chicago it’s
Trey Lyles’ Day Off
Who is going to step up and give us production off of the bench?
My money is on TD as I think the Kings go small ball against the Bulls. TD is due for some crazy 25 point game.
If it were a nationally televised game he’d be due for a 40 piece.
I also like Edwards and his defense.
“Um, he’s suspended. My best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s brother’s girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who’s going with the girl who saw Trey punch out Left Eye Lopez last night. I guess it’s pretty serious.”
On this trip the Kings should be fine.
With these teams there are wins we can mine.
The Bulls are up first—
Just prevent an outburst—
Slow DeRozen, clamp down on LaVine!
Let’s get 41 for player number 41!
Don’t let the bulls go on a parade and rage against the Beam.
Especially that Zach fella.
The Bulls are 14th in 3P%, but dead last in attempts. It will be interesting to see if the Bulls put up in excess of their 28.5 threes per game (the Kings average 36.5), and what rate they convert them.
Just get back on the winning streak from before Milwaukee. Would really love a snoozefest 20 point win for a change.
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