SACRAMENTO – With two players averaging over 20 points per game this season, Sacramento is one of just four NBA teams that can boast of such a potent 1-2 scoring punch (the others are playoff-bound clubs Cleveland, Golden State and Portland). Unfortunately for the Kings (26-48), they’ll be missing one of those threats Friday night, when they host the New Orleans Pelicans (40-34). Sacramento forward Rudy Gay (20.9 ppg) will sit out a second straight game due to a concussion, according to the website Cowbell Kingdom.
There also seemed to be a recent possibility that DeMarcus Cousins, who amassed 39 points and 20 rebounds against the Pelicans on March 27, might be shut down for the remainder of the season, but Kings Coach George Karl indicated that Cousins will play in home games. The All-Star center may be rested in some of Sacramento’s final four road contests, but appears to be a go for games at Sleep Train Arena.
“Rudy’s not playing tonight, so just try to contain Cous,” Pelicans point guard Tyreke Evans said of one of his team’s objectives. “It’s not easy to stop him, but just try to contain him, make somebody else beat us.
“Everybody stay attached to their man. Omer (Asik) did a good job of just putting his body on Cous (in the recent matchup), and making him make tough shots. If we just play our game for 48 minutes, I think we’ll be able to get out of here with a win.”
Other notes from shootaround:
- Ryan Anderson recovered well from playing in his first game Wednesday since Feb. 21 and is ready to play against his hometown team. "I feel pretty good," he said. "A little sore. I've tried to get a lot of rest and ice up. A little bit sore naturally, but I feel good, really good."
- The Pelicans may have more connections to Sacramento and the Kings than any of the other 29 NBA teams, making ticket requests a trickier proposition than in most road cities. Evans (2009-13), Jimmer Fredette (2011-14) and Toney Douglas (2013) are all former Kings. Meanwhile, Anderson is a native of the Sacramento area, while Jrue Holiday, Quincy Pondexter and Jeff Withey are from California. Even the team’s GM, Dell Demps, is originally from the state and played for the Golden State Warriors.