Hollins shares insight into Boogie's dominance and Stauskas talks return as Sacramento looks to end exhibition play with a win tonight against Los Angeles.
Projected Starters
Radio – KHTK Sports 1140 AM
2013-14 Head-to-Head
Last Time Out
Cousins Shines, but Sacramento Slips Late to San Antonio
The Kings shot a blazing 65-percent in the first quarter against the defending-champion Spurs on Monday night, but faltered down the stretch. Despite a preseason-high 32 points from DeMarcus Cousins, the home team used two big runs late in the game to clinch a 106-99 victory.
The loss drops Sacramento to 2-4 in exhibition play, while San Antonio improved to 2-4. For Big Cuz, the 32-point, 11-rebound outing was his second consecutive double-double of the preseason. Looking to become an All-Star for the first time in his young career, No. 15 appears to be in midseason form as he scored 19 points in the first half while pulling down seven rebounds and shooting 7-of-7 from the field.
Hollins Dishes On DMC
With nearly a decade of experience in the NBA, Ryan Hollins has played against some of the best centers in the game over the past nine years. Yet, he can’t think of anyone who is similar to Kings superstar DeMarcus Cousins.
“He’s by far one of the most talented, if not the most talented, young bigs in the League right now,” said Hollins.
“I’ve never seen a guy that big and strong which is that nibble. He can shoot the ball, he’s long and he’s crafty down [on the block] too – you don’t see that every day.”
With training camp in the books, as well as six preseason games, No. 5 has had plenty of time to dissect Cousins’ game. While Hollins readily admits DMC’s offensive game is his strong suit, he says No. 15 is gaining more attention for his work on defense.
“He’s a very underrated shot blocker – his arms are so long that he’s able to get to shots really late,” admitted Hollins.
“He’s been dunked on a few times, but that’s just because he goes for a lot of blocked shots. He’s a sneaky defender – he can get to places you don’t think he can get to. He’s great at covering the elbows, contesting and taking the air space away from his man, so he’s a much better defender than I thought.”
Cousins’ near-limitless ability is just the tipping point for this Kings squad.
“We were so excited with our talent coming in [to Training Camp],” stated Hollins. “We’ve got some pieces, but it means nothing if we don’t compete and we don’t space the floor. We have the best post player in the League, but if we can’t get the ball to him and cut off his spacing, then it doesn’t do us any good.”
Stauskas Healthy and Ready to Roll
After sitting out Monday’s matchup against the Spurs with rotator cuff tendinitis, rookie Nik Stauskas says his left shoulder is feeling better and he’ll suit up against the Lakers.
“It was sore that day, so we didn’t want to risk anything or aggravate it,” stated the Kings young shooting guard. “[Taking] that day [off] definitely helped – getting treatment and doing everything the trainers told me to do.”
Before being sidelined with injury, Stauskas was starting to hit his groove. Through five tune-up games, No. 10 was shooting 45-percent from the floor and averaging 9.6 points per game.
“I think I’m getting more comfortable,” he admitted. “I’m not hesitating as much out there. I’m just all-in with whatever move I’m making, which is important at this point.”
No-Go for Lakers No. 24
Without Kobe Bryant for the final two preseason games – including their matchup with the Kings tonight – the Los Angeles Lakers turned to Julius Randle to step up and fill the void against Portland on Wednesday night. The rookie obliged and carried his team to a 94-86 victory scoring 17 points tying the Trail Blazers C.J. McCollum for the game high.
Randle’s output was his highest this preseason, and his seven made field goals equaled his total from the previous three games combined.
The Lakers shot 50-percent from the field on 76 attempts, while the Trail Blazers hit 47-percent of their attempts. Former Kings forward Thomas Robinson finished the game with nine points, seven boards and five fouls.
“I watched some of the Laker game [on Tuesday] night and Kobe was amazing down the stretch – he looked like the old Kobe,” admitted Malone. “But again, I’m not really worried about them at all. I want to see us put a much better 48-minute effort together.”
Nash Out for Season
On Thursday, the Lakers announced point guard Steve Nash will miss the 2014-15 season with a back injury. Playing in only 65 regular season games over the past two seasons with L.A., Nash averaged 11.4 points and 6.4 assists per outing.
Malone Weighs In
“We’re going to approach this last preseason game like it’s a regular season game – we have to,” said Kings Head Coach Michael Malone. “We can’t just snap our fingers and say, ‘OK. Golden State’s here, play the right way and value the basketball.’ It’s rapidly approaching.”