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Lakers at Kings: 10 Things to Know (12/21/14)

Here is what you need to know before the Lakers take on the Sacramento Kings

1)
At 36 years old, Kobe Bryant is still keeping up with the NBA's best scorers, as his 24.6 points per game rank only behind 25-year-old James Harden (26.3) and 29-year-old LeBron James (25.3). Bryant is also just ahead of Anthony Davis (21; 24.1 ppg) and Stephen Curry (26; 23.9 ppg). However, Bryant has not shot with the same consistency as his counterparts, as his 37.7 field goal percentage is 11.3 percent lower than the rest of the top five's combined average.

2)
The Lakers' two new bench leaders have stepped up recently. Carlos Boozer is averaging 15.0 points and 9.5 rebounds, while shooting 53.5 percent in his last six games. Jeremy Lin, meanwhile, ended his frigid streak on Friday by shooting 5-for-7 to tally 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Prior to the game against Oklahoma City, Lin had averaged just 6.3 points on 28.3 percent shooting, while adding 1.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists in seven contests.

3)
The Lakers beat the Kings, 98-95, in the teams’ first matchup this season on Dec. 9. However, Sacramento was without star center DeMarcus Cousins during that game, who was sidelined due to viral meningitis. The Kings won just twice during the 10-game stretch that Cousins was out for. Currently, Cousins is the only player in the league averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds, with 23.7 and 12.5, respectively.

4)
During Cousins’ absence, Rudy Gay led the Kings with 21.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists and a 42.5 field goal percentage. In his last 11 games, Gay has provided 20 or more points nine times.

5)
Reggie Evans is questionable against the Lakers after missing the Kings’ last game on Thursday due to contusions to his left knee and hip. Evans is averaging 8.8 rebounds in his last nine games, and he has been one of the league’s most efficient rebounders in his 13 total seasons. Throughout NBA history, Evans’ 21.9 career rebound percentage* ranks behind only Dennis Rodman (23.4).

6)
After starting the season 11-13, Sacramento fired Mike Malone, who went 39-67 in barely more than one season as the Kings head coach. Tyrone Corbin, who coached Utah to the playoffs one time from 2011 to 2014, has lost his first two games as Sacramento’s interim head coach.

7)
Beginning with their loss to the Lakers on Dec. 9, the Kings have dropped five straight games. During this slide, Sacramento has four losses of five points or fewer. The Kings have also blown four second-half leads, including three in the fourth quarter.

8)
The Kings have been arguably the NBA’s best rebounding team. Though its 45.0 boards per game rank seventh in the league, Sacramento has held opponents to an NBA-low 37.9 average. That +7.1 difference is, by far, the best among all 30 teams, dwarfing Oklahoma City’s +3.2 second-place mark.

9)
Sacramento has been one of the league’s worst teams from beyond the arc, as it is averaging just 4.9 3-pointers on 14.7 attempts, both of which rank second-to-last in the league. Leading 3-point shooter Ben McLemore is hitting 40.9 percent, while no other King is above 38 percent. For the Lakers, Nick Young (43.0) and Wayne Ellington (40.4) have both provided solid production on triples.

10)
The Kings are second in the league in points per shot (1.29), but they are not taking advantage of it, as they are attempting the second-fewest field goals in the league (78.2). Sacramento’s 45.6 field goal percentage is essentially league-average (15th), but serious issues arise when that sinks too far, as the Kings are winless in 11 games when being outshot by the opponent.

*Rebound percentage is an estimation of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabs while on the floor.