Over the last few seasons the Phoenix Suns and the Sacramento Kings have been highly regarded out west, and for good reason too. The NLL is a very long season, and even though both these teams probably haven't started the way they wanted too, these teams have to be taken seriously in every single matchup, because the talent these gm's are putting out on the court can't be argued with. Tonight we see the 4-4 Sacramento Kings travel to face off against the 4-4 Phoenix Suns (unless games are played prior).
The Visiting Sacramento Kings went through a full body transformation make over just prior to the season. sending away long time fan favourites Chris Paul, Paul George, and JR Smith, but in return received a team that is covered very deep at every position on the court. With a new team trying to gel together, things are going to take time, and the first two weeks the Kings have faced off against teams like The Lakers, Cavaliers, Celtics, Mavericks, and have already beaten the Suns once. So with not such an easy run to start the season is tonight the game that can get the Kings faithful back on their feet and kick start their season?
On the other side of the table we have the Phoenix Suns. Penny has pushed these guys to the limits during the off season, and has challenged his guys to push hard up and down the court for 48 minutes every night. Three guys have stepped up to the plate. Rondo, Parsons and Smith are all averaging over 20ppg and doing their bit for the team, the drop off is big though. they need guys like Terry, Blake and Muhammad to really setp up their game and contribute to help get the wins.
Both of these teams are a very capable unit and have the ability to push deep into the playoffs this season. The Sacramento Kings lead this series 1-0 after taking an 8 point win against the suns in week 1 of the season.
INJURY CONCERNS:
Sacramento Kings
- David Lee - This guys leaves a big hole for the Kings, but with the depth they have required they can easily cover it with Kevin Love, and Carlos Boozer.
Phoenix Suns - The Suns are 100% fit for week three of the season, but after a disappointing week Jason Terry has dropped completely out of the rotation.
MATCH-UPS CENTER
VS
- Boozers move from Power Forward to Center didn't hurt his production in week two of the season, and with Larry Sanders Confidence a little down, and also giving up 44lbs expect Boozers Strength to be too much for the 26year old Sanders. EDGE: KINGS
POWER FORWARD VS
- This is the Match-up the fans have come to see. Love's range against Smith's athleticism. Both of these guys can work it inside and out. its really hard to split the two but with Loves Defense and rebounding ability he gets the nod. EDGE: KINGS
SMALL FORWARD VS
- Parsons is younger, quicker, and has a lot more hustle. i would expect to see the aging Marion struggle against chandler tonight. expect Parsons to drop 25+ points and Marion struggling to keep up. EDGE: SUNS
SHOOTING GUARD VS
- At 6-7" Klay Thompson is going to cause all sorts of problems for Ben Gordon. Shooting Guard is definitely not a strong position for the Suns, but if Gordon can hold the up and coming young start to anything under 15 points, that's a definite win for him and the Suns. EDGE: KINGS
POINT GUARD VS
- Another mouth water match-up for the fans. Conley is having one heck of a start to the new season, putting up numbers he hasn't put up since his rookie season. on the flip side, Rondo is having a great scoring start to the season also. Both guys are shooting at 50% with Rondo dishing out 2apg more than Conley. Its a tough one to pick, as these guys will go toe to toe and almost cancel each other out. EDGE: SUNS
PREDICTION KINGS:106 SUNS: 97
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