Sacramento @ Seattle Details: Who: (22-22) vs (32-12) Where: Key Arena When: Saturday, Jan 31st, 7pm TV: KONG, NBALP Projected Lineups: PG: Antonio Daniels/Luke Ridnour SG: Ray Allen/Ronald Murray SF: Rashard Lewis/Vladimir Radmanovic PF: Calvin BoothVladimir Radmanovic/Reggie Evans C: Vitaly PotapenkoJerome James/Calvin Booth Coached by Nate McMillan PG: Mike Bibby/Bobby Jackson SG: Doug Christie/Anthony Peeler SF: Peja Stojakovic/Gerald Wallace PF: Brad Miller/Darius Songalia/Lawrence Funderburke C: Vlade Divac/Brad Miller/Jabari Smith Coached by Rick Adelman Injury List: Nick Collison: shoulder, season. Brent Barry: broken finger, on IL. Richie Frahm: right knee tendinitis, on IL. Injury List Chris Webber: left knee rehabilitation, on IL. Analysis: With the season series locked at a game apiece, Seattle come home from the Lakers after two consecutive losses, including a heartbreaking final second defeat to Dallas. They currently stand at 22-22, and will be keen to avoid slipping under .500 for the first time since they were 12-13 after a win at Denver on December 20. Sacramento on the other hand come in after an inspiring victory in San Antonio, and they share the league's best record with Minnesota. Star forward Peja Stojakovic (third in the league at 25.1 ppg) and offseason aquisition Brad Miller both look set to be named All-Star reserves, and will look to end January by showing why. Last Time Just a few days after going to Sacramento and losing by 30, the Sonics reversed things at home on the 7th of January with a 104-93 win, the score being closer than the game was. Seattle restricted dangerman Peja Stojakovic to only 19 points on 5-14 shooting, while Ray Allen went close to a triple double with a team high 22 points, with seven rebounds and nine assists. They key to this win however was the boost Nate McMillan got from his bench, something that will be vital again in this one. Antonio Daniels posted 19, five and five, while Ronald Murray had 15 and Reggie Evans grabbed 12 boards, all off the pine. In contrast, Bobby Jackson was the only King reserve with over six points, having 13 in 28 minutes. [quoteright]"Coming off the bench is a very important position that some players don't realize. It's not a glamour position, because you don't hear your name called during the introductions, but you can make a difference in the outcome of the game." - Nate McMillan on his recent benching of Vladimir Radmanovic and Jerome James.[/QUOTERIGHT] Key Factors: - Play the transition game. Last time, Seattle dominated the Kings all game just by running and running. This meant Sacramento couldn't play their natural game, because the Sonics were off on the break in a flash every trip down the floor, and guys like Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Peja Stojakovic extracted a lot of energy on the defensive end. - Pressure the passer. The key to the Kings' game is their strong passing, and give any of their players room and you can expect an easy basket to follow. Double teaming Miller and Divac inside may be risky, but the pressure needs to be put on or they will find cutters for the score time after time. This may force the Sonics to give up open shots from time to time, but as long as they don't leave Peja open then this may be the best way to go. - Knock down their shots. Well duh, you say, but this simple cliche holds a lot of meaning against a team like the Sacramento. They will give you open looks, and it's up to Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and co. to make the most of these opportunities. Like Dallas, the Kings will score, but they will give you more chances to score than other teams, too. Key Matchup: Rashard Lewis vs Peja Stojakovic Peja is the purest scorer in the league, bar no one, and containing him is the key to beating this Kings outfit. If you can't contain him, which is very often, then the next best thing is to match his offensive output. Lewis is coming off two strong games against Dallas and the Lakers, and will look to continue his run as he goes head to head with Stojakovic, who is at a point where you can pencil in 25 points for him before the game starts. Lewis has the advantage in athleticism and speed, and needs to use this to his advantage and look to get to the basket, hopefully getting to the line and Peja into early foul trouble. Stojakovic can and will beat you by shooting; Lewis will need to accept that Peja will make some shots, but getting a hand in his face and making it harder for him is the key. X-Factors: Vladimir Radmanovic - relegated to the bench as Nate McMillan experiments with his line-ups, has not taken well to the change. Seattle need his brand of offense to fire if they want to match the offensively brilliant Kings in this one. Bobby Jackson - The best back-up point guard in the league, barring nobody. Jackson is electric when he gets into a groove, and without Barry he'll look to cause misery for a weakened Sonic backcourt. <font size="1">Player photos and logo images courtesy of NBA.com </font>
Amazing preview. This will be a hard one for Seattle, but they do have the home court advantage. Im not going to rule them out just yet.
I'll give this one to the Kings, tonight. Coming off two wins at Houston and San Antonio, the two best defenses in the league, I think they can "handle" Seattle.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Crossover:</div><div class="quote_post">I'll give this one to the Kings, tonight. Coming off two wins at Houston and San Antonio, the two best defenses in the league, I think they can "handle" Seattle.</div> Didn't you post in the same thread in the forum right above this?
Nice Preview SD. The Sonics have their work cut out for them on this one. I say they take it by 2 because theyre home.
Good preview...Kings by 10 and up, I suspect Peja is feeling it tonight(like any other night) and he goes off for 30 and up.
I see Sonics pulling out a win tonight,Allen always seems to get up for the Kings and mainly Peja Stojakovic Watching those two go at it will be worth watching.Daniels and Murray really need to step up to replace Barry's production.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Stars are known for arriving late. And Sacramento's were no different last night. Clicking on as if someone flipped a switch, Kings forward Peja Stojakovic scored 11 of his team-leading 29 points in the fourth quarter while point guard Mike Bibby had four assists to secure a 110-103 victory over the Sonics in front a sellout crowd of 17,072 at KeyArena. Seattle's third consecutive loss — all to some of the Western Conference's top teams — drops the Sonics (22-23) below .500 for the first time since late December. The Sonics are still looking for what the Kings seem to have. "It's that chemistry," Sonics guard Antonio Daniels said of Sacramento. "It's there. You can see it. They are a veteran team that knows who to go to and that enables them to win the ballgame. I hate to make excuses, but we are a very young team and sometimes we don't know how to win." Trailing 89-80 in the fourth quarter, Daniels orchestrated a 10-0 run that gave the Sonics their first lead of the game since the first quarter. The lead swayed back and forth until a bell seemed to ring inside the Kings at the 2:12 mark. </div> <font size="1">Full Story courtesy of the Seattle Times.</font>
