Kings vs. Trail Blazers Preview – By the Numbers
After an All-Star break that left many wanting more, the Kings are finally back in action at home to take on the Portland Trail Blazers. Sacramento begins the final 25 games stretch of the season, or as Mike Brown would say, their 5th to last 5-game set. It really is the home stretch where every game matters, especially given how close the West is.
The Kings welcome 12th place Portland to town, where a win will make it very difficult for the Blazers to catch Sacramento. With a win, the magic number for the Kings to stay ahead of Portland would sit at 19, meaning both teams would have to drastically change season progressions to result in a switch in the standings.
That’s why in the last 3rd of the season the games against the teams in the hunt for the playoffs or play-in will be vital. To be able to knock off two digits from that magic number is a prime opportunity for the Kings to lock up a playoff spot.
If anyone has a player to completely change the direction of a season though, it’s Portland in Damian Lillard. Lillard, one of the greatest scorers of this generation, is currently averaging a career high 31.4 Points per game. Part of that is him taking a few more Field Goals, as the 20.2 FGA’s is the 2nd highest of his career, but it also has to do with his shooting. He’s shooting 46.7% from the field, which again, is a career high. Part of that is a very nice 37.2% from beyond the arc on a ridiculous 11.2 3PA’s per game, but a bigger part is his increased productivity from inside the arc.
Lillard is shooting 58.4% on his 2-point FG’s this year, which is, (surprise) another career high. Last year Dame was shooting 48.5% on his 2-pointers. Almost a 10% difference from last year to this year is just an absurd jump. For a Kings related reference, De’Aaron Fox feels like he is making everything inside compared to last year. Last year he was shot 52.4% on 2’s, and this year 57.1%.
What Lillard does a little different than Fox is focus more on the Mid-Range. He is shooting 50.5% in the area, 7th highest in the NBA (min 2.0 attempts per game). Dame is known for his 3-point barrage and logo shots, but he can carve you up and make it look easy from the mid-range almost any time he wants as well.
For the Kings, Malik Monk will be returning to the lineup after missing two games due to injury and will provide a boon that they missed off of the bench. In his 10 games before the injury, Monk was averaging 14.7 Points, 3.4 Rebounds, and 4.0 Assists on 52.9/43.2/95.8% shooting splits. If he can maintain anywhere near that production, the Kings should be in good shape down the stretch.
As a whole, somewhere the Kings could get going from tonight is beyond the arc. The Blazers allow opponents to shoot 37.0% from deep, the 4th highest mark in the league. Fresh legs can go a long way in the NBA, and the Kings have shown that when they get going from 3, they are nearly unbeatable. They are 18-6 when they make at least 14 3’s. It still feels like the Kings haven’t had many games where they have everyone hitting at once, but when they do it’s electric. Think the Brooklyn blowout. Defense is great, but the Kings have an offense that can carry them to the playoffs, and I can’t wait to see how everything turns out.
