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WAKE UP! Remember the Kings (32-32)? They are trailing the Spurs for the eighth seed in the playoffs by four full games. That’s a huge deficit at this stage of the season. They will have to push the ball, Sacramento will, in order to keep hope alive and defeat the lowly Knicks (13-52) for the second time in a week.
Can they do it? Can Sac ball all the way out? To make up all that ground and push their way in, trample the old guard and steal the coveted bottom of the West, they may need the Spurs to just fall apart. That seems unlikely but if they can get hot, they’ll have an enormous game in San Antonio to close out March. It won’t be easy but it is a possibility. Hopefully teams like the Rockets will manage their loads when they match up. Unfortunately for Kings fans that seems unlikely as teams jockey for positioning down the stretch.
If the #Spurs go 5-5 vs. Mil, Dal, NYK, Por, GSW, Miami, Hou, Bos, Cha, Cle; and the #Kings go 9-3 vs. NYK, Was, Bos, Phi, Chi, Brk, Dal, Pho, LAL, Dal, NO, Hou; the Kings will be 1 game behind the Spurs when they meet in San Antonio on 3/31. Is that possible? Likely? Crazy talk?
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) March 7, 2019
This game becomes evermore crucial after a tough two-point loss to Boston on Wednesday. Matinee mash, get your feelings hurt. It’s time for Knick basketball.
Projected Starters
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It appears the Kings are still without Marvin Bagley III but he has been seen moving comfortably and it is possible that if he’s about ready, today would be a good day to give him a short run and see how he looks and feels. He is with the team and it seems like something could shake loose today. We shall see.
More: I’m told Marvin is with the team in New York.
— Jason Anderson (@JandersonSacBee) March 9, 2019
For the Knicks: same old, whatever, ephemera, etcetera. Their togetherness is tougher than leatherness. Frank Ntilikina is on the dog house, here he is in the Knicks training facility:
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Key Matchup
Can Bogdan Bogdanovic score 30 on Kevin Knox? If I’m the Kings, I’d give him an entire side of the floor and just let him go to work. Pretend to bring a ball screen every once and again, Knox will anticipate and get sucked into the screener’s gravity. Can the 26-year old flummox the 19-year old?
Double Boggle doesn’t have it rolling? Well, let’s just see if you can’t do some floppy to get Buddy Hield catching with Knox trailing. The point is- the Kings have to see the kid and just be like, oh, the foibles of youth, we shall attack it and tell it that, in fact, it is not being attacked. Hey, suck it up, youth! Buy a house, have 90k in the bank, youth. However, in the brilliant words of the great American philosopher, Russell Jones, “I teach the truth to the youth, I say hey youth, here’s the truth, better start wearing bullet proof”. Definitely.
Life is no friendly game of stick ball, I assure you.
Prediction
The Kings come out ready to slash the Knicks’ tires. In honor of March Madness De’Aaron Fox will recall some of his college exploits. Why not try to flex on your fellow Wildcat on his home floor?
Fox needs to set the tone for Sacramento and he shall, breakneck speed.
Knicks by -24.
Warm Up Music
You should probably sleep in and not really be awake for this one.