It’s an early, early start time today for a clash of the two most surprising teams in the NBA this year as the Sacramento Kings continue on their road trip with a stop over in Brooklyn! Currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and sporting a 24-23 record, Brooklyn has found themselves winners of seven in their last night contests and its really starting to become apparently that Brooklyn GM Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson are turning the non-potable water they inherited into a solid batch of wine. Come for D’Angelo Russell’s icy veins, stay for Spencer Dinwiddie being the actual hero most games.

Let’s talk Kings basketball!

When: Monday, January 21st, 12:30 PM PST

Where: Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn, NY

TV: NBCSCA

Radio: KHTK Sports 1140 AM

For Your Consideration

So we haven’t had to talk about the Brooklyn Nets this year. To be honest it took awhile for news to trickle out that they were having the season that they were having, which is crazy considering the media market they’re playing in. They’ve spent years under the boot of one of the worst trades in sports history, unable to attract quality free agents or draft talented youngsters and only popping up on the radar after Jason Kidd tries to cheat himself into a time out or DeMarcus Cousins destroys their rim. And yet, after a much need regime change to former Spurs executive Sean Marks, the Nets turn around has come with relative expediency. Focused on grabbing talented players off the waiver wires and scrap heaps or taking advantage of teams like the Lakers who dumped their #2 pick for Brook Lopez and the #27 pick in the 2017 draft, the Nets have rebuilt the barren wasteland of their talent base by just any means short of kidnapping other teams players.

So lets talk for a quick second about what the Nets are doing to position themselves for a playoff run in the final months of the season. For one, everyone on this team contributes in the scoring department. They have 10 guys on this team averaging nine points or more, and with the exception of Caris LeVert who dislocated his ankle fourteen games into the season, each of these guys has played 30 plus games for the Nets. Lead by the dual headed dragon at the point guard spot, the Nets have starting point guard D’Angelo Russell averaging 19 points and 6.5 assists shooting a solid 48% from 2 and 37% from deep, as well as back up point guard and Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner Spencer Dinwiddie dropping 17 points and 5 assists on 53% from inside the arc and 37% from outside it. That’s a pretty damn good point guard rotation there. On the defensive end, they’ve got talented up-and-coming Jarrett Allen roaming the paint and sporting the most intimidating hairdo since Ben Wallace was in the league.

As a team, the Nets are 16th in the league in points at 111.6 a game and run at the 20th fastest pace in the NBA, while also giving up almost 112 points a contest, ninth worst in the league. In a move that would make any Kings stathead jealous, the Nets attempt the 4th most three point attempts in the NBA and are currently 7th in the NBA in three point percentage at 36.3%. They take alot, they make a lot. The Nets are also a top ten team in getting to the foul line, as well as the 8th overall rebounding team in the NBA (3rd best in offensive boards). So where’s the chink in the armor? Where did those 23 losses come from? Well for one, their defense is… not… great. They find themselves as the fourth worst team in the league in both steals and blocks, and on top of that, they’re trying their darndest and fouling when they do, sporting the 5th highest foul totals in the NBA. If the Kings want to win, they’ll attack the rim, hit their foul shots and also capitalize on the Net inability to keep the ball out of the hands of their opponents; the Nets are currently the 6th worst team in the league in turning the ball over.

Prediction

De’Aaron Fox battles De’Angelo in a D’uel to a D’raw and it’s that Buddy Hield spends yet another game pulling the Kings from the brink to a victory. Willie Cauley-Stein dunks on Jarrett Allen and Allen proceeds to block Willie’s next four attempts.

Kings: 118, Nets: 112

Also, Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

I hope wherever you’re standing today, it’s in strength.