After a tough overtime loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday night, the Sacramento Kings continue on to Philadelphia for game three of their six-game road trip Wednesday evening.
DeMarcus Cousins dropped in 36 points and 20 rebounds against Washington, giving him four straight games with 30 or more points. But if the Kings are going to make the long climb back to .500 on the season, they are going to need all hands on deck. More than half the rotation had an off night against the Wizards and that’s a recipe for disaster for Sacramento.
Philly is young and inexperienced, but they play hard every night for head coach Brett Brown. The 76ers have lost four straight, but they come in with a well rested Joel Embiid who sat out Monday as a healthy scratch.
OPENING LINE
Kings by 5
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Sports
Rudy Gay vs. Robert Covington -- Gay has cooled after a fast start to the season, but he is still posting solid numbers for Sacramento, including a career-best 40 percent shooting from behind the arc. Covington has struggled with his shot early, averaging just 8.4 points on 30.8 percent shooting from the field through 18 games. But he’s fresh off a 20-point performance where he hit 6-of-9 from distance and he is a dangerous defender on the wing.
WHERE THEY STAND
Kings: 7-11, fourth place in Pacific
76ers: 4-14, last place in Atlantic
INJURY REPORT
Kings: No injuries to report.
76ers: G Jerryd Bayless (wrist) questionable, C Nerlens Noel (knee) out, F Ben Simmons (foot) out.
SERIES HISTORY
These two teams split the season series last year, with each club coming away with a victory on the road. Philadelphia holds a 162-124 advantage all-time over the Kings and a 31-29 lead during the Sacramento-era.
QUOTE
“We’ve just got to be better. Our bench guys and our role players have to do a better job of helping DeMarcus. It feels like he’s doing anything he can to win the game for us. We’ve just got to be better.” -Omri Casspi following the Kings loss to Washington on Monday
