THE OPPONENT

THE KEY BATTLE

Jason Thompson vs. Luis Scola. Again, Scola is a monster defensive rebounder, and Thompson (as you know) is a killer on the offensive glass. Thompson was reportedly ill Thursday; hopefully he's in top shape today so he can battle with Scola and Landry down low. On the other end, Thompson will have to respect Scola's outside jumper. The Kings' best bet for help is off of Hayes, who is a major minus on offense, but as Scola isn't really the best cutter/diver, we might see JT ease off of him on Brooks penetration.

THE INTERESTING SIDESHOW

If Battier guards Nocioni, who isn't really the caliber of scorer Shane is used to defending, with Battier get bored and starting knitting or something? Great scorers have trouble getting motivated for non-marquee games, right? Well, shouldn't elite defenders snooze on unexciting one-on-one matchups?

BOLD PROCLAMATION

If the Kings lose this game, it will start a four-game losing streak. The Kings will not reach .500 again for the rest of the season, barring a Chicago win next week as a temporary respite. If the Kings win, they will stick around .500 until just before Christmas.

DETAILS

The game is tipping just over 7PM on CSN and KHTK. Game thread at 7, postgame thread at 9:45, recap on Elm Street.