Here is what you need to know before the Lakers take on their Pacific Division foes, the Sacramento Kings.
1) Ed Davis, who scored 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in his second start for the Lakers Sunday, maintains his productivity while starting. In 236 career games, he has come off the bench for 176. However, Davis averages 5.1 more points (11.0) and 2.4 more rebounds (7.9) when he is a part of the starting five.
2) Since returning from injury 11 games ago, Nick Young has provided the bench scoring that head coach Byron Scott wanted to see. Young has led Lakers reserves in points nine times, including each of the last seven games. His 14.8 points per game ranks fourth in the league among bench players.
3) Scott’s coaching career began in Sacramento where he spent two seasons as an assistant. Scott’s tenure with the Kings ended in the first round of the 2000 playoffs, as Sacramento fell in a win-or-go-home Game 5 to the Lakers.
4) The Lakers have defended their home court against Sacramento in five consecutive games, as their last loss to the Kings at STAPLES Center came on Jan. 28, 2011. L.A. has won nine of its past 10 home games against Sacramento, and has lost just one season series since the 2005-06 season.
5) The Kings are missing their star player, DeMarcus Cousins, who is out with viral meningitis. Cousins is seventh in the NBA in scoring (23.5) and leads the league in rebounding (12.6). He also trails just Anthony Davis (33.2) in player efficiency rating* (27.8), and ranks behind only Kobe Bryant (36.0) and Dwyane Wade (33.5) in usage percentage** (33.3).
6) With Cousins out, Rudy Gay can be expected to inherit much of Cousins’ workload. Gay averages 21.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists, while leading the team in win shares*** (2.3).
7) Meanwhile, Reggie Evans will try to substitute Cousins’ impact on the glass. Cousins leads the league in rebounding percentage**** (23.3), but Evans is right behind him (22.9). Evans, who is averaging 7.4 rebounds in 19.0 minutes, also had one of the NBA’s eight 20-rebound games this season when he pulled down 20 against Memphis on Nov. 30.
8) Led by Cousins and Evans, Sacramento has been one of the NBA’s best rebounding teams. The Kings are tied with San Antonio and Denver for the fourth-most rebounds per game (44.8). But more importantly, Sacramento’s opponents are grabbing a league-low 37.5 boards, giving the Kings an NBA-best 54.4 rebound percentage.
9) Sacramento has thrived at the foul line more than any other team. The Kings lead the league in both free throws attempted (32.5) and made (25.8). They also rank first in fouls drawn with 27.2 — 3.7 more per game than the next-closest team (Toronto). Meanwhile, the Lakers are fifth in free throw attempts (26.8) and sixth in makes (20.0).
10) The Kings’ passing has left much to be desired. They average the league’s second-fewest assists (19.2), while placing last in points by assist (43.1) and assist opportunities (36.9). This struggle to set up teammates has also contributed to Sacramento ranking last on catch-and-shoot situations in attempts (16.1), baskets (5.1) and percentage (32.0).
*Player efficiency rating is a measure of a player’s per-minute productivity with the league average set at 15.
**Usage percentage is the percentage of a team’s plays used by a player when he is in the game.
***Win shares are an estimation of how many wins are contributed by a certain player.
****Rebounding rate is the percentage of rebounds a player or team grabs while on the floor.