Kings vs. Spurs Preview – By the Numbers
The Kings are back in Sacramento to celebrate in front of the home crowd as they welcome in the visiting Spurs. This game has a very similar feel to the last two against the Trail Blazers where they just need to take care of business and they should be able to get the win easily, but Gregg Popovich is sure to have his team ready to put up a fight. Let’s see what the Kings can do to shut down the Spurs.
The Spurs don’t have the worst record in the NBA, but they have the worst Net Rating in the league at -10.5. They have the 29th ranked offense and 30th ranked defense. They started the season by winning 5 of their first 7 games and have gone 14-56 since, and are currently on a six-game losing streak.
When the Spurs do win, they do it by knocking down their 3’s. In wins, they shoot 39.4% from beyond the arc. In losses, that drops to 32.2%. For comparison’s sake, the Kings shoot 37.6% in wins and 36.3% in losses, which again shows how they don’t rely on the deep ball to lead them to wins. If the Kings can the 3-Point battle even close, they should walk away with the win in this one.
That should be easier to do tonight, as the Spurs allow their opponents to shoot 39.3% from beyond the arc, the highest in the NBA. The Spurs also allow the highest 2-point FG% in the NBA at 57.0%, which again should bode well for the Kings who lead the league with a 58.8% 2P FG%. To put it lightly, the Kings should be able to get whatever they want on offense tonight.
As a little side story, let’s look into what Alex Len has been able to provide off of the bench in the last few games. He’s making a big impact on the court and it shows in the numbers. In the last 3 games, he’s leading the entire team with an On/Off net Rating of +35.6. Opponents are shooting just 7-of-15 (46.7%) in the Restricted Area on shots he’s defended and 8-of-24 (33.3%) on his defended 3’s.
He’s setting massive screens, which may sound ridiculous, but is a huge facet of this teams offense. Again, in the last 3 games, he’s averaged 3.7 Screen Assists for 9.0 Points created. Those are remarkably close to Sabonis’ 5.6 and 13.5 of each that he’s averaged on the season. He may not have the passing skills that Sabonis has, but he allows his teammates to work around him to get open shots or lanes to the basket.
Len has done a remarkable job staying ready and waiting for his chance to contribute, and you have to give him credit for stepping in and making an impact. Only Mike Brown and the Kings know what the rotation will look like come Playoff time, but Len has more than shown he deserves a shot if the matchup calls for him.
