The Toronto Raptors end their road swing in Sacramento, against an improving squad of Kings. What should we watch for as our team goes for a visitors’ sweep?
The Toronto Raptors have provided ample proof on this 4-game Western road trip that they are a force to be reckoned away from Scotiabank Arena. They have rolled to three wins, and would dearly love to complete the sweep by defeating the Sacramento Kings.
Central California has not been hospitable to the Raptors. No matter how desolate the Kings record has been (and in the last decade, they have been bad, then worse), they seem to handle our team. The overall mark is 17 – 26, in Sac-to’s favour.
The Kings are in positive territory this season, with a 6 – 4 mark. They had racked up a 5-game win streak before running into the Milwaukee Bucks.
Sacramento fans hope their team, which has employed a “Trust The Process” philosophy without calling it that (more cynical observers might describe their draft results as “Don’t trust Vlade”), has truly turned the corner. Maybe so, though it’s still very early.
Perhaps it’s churlish of me to point this out, but Holy Ghost of Red Auerbach, this team has had so many single-digit lottery picks flame out in recent years – it’s like the Kings are cursed. Ben McLemore, Nik Stauskas, Marquis Chriss…Bismack Biyombo was the #7 selection. One of the few who became a star, DeMarcus Cousins, was moved to New Orleans. He had apparently told management he wanted out, for which you can hardly blame him after years of futility.
Buddy Hield, a strong three-point shooter, was the feature player send to Sacramento in this trade. He’s blossomed into their top scorer, and is hitting at a 48% clip from deep. De’Aaron Fox, their sophomore point guard, is offering evidence that he won’t be another lottery flop. He’s scoring and dishing dimes at an impressive rate.
Willy Cauley-Stein jumps center, and the Kings have wisely been patient with him. I believe he has a chance to be a star. He’s beefy yet mobile, and can both score and defend.
Nemanja Bjelica starts at power forward. He’s a solid veteran, though not a building block.
Iman Shumpert has started six games in the small forward slot, with Justin Jackson and Yogi Ferrell also getting introduced. Perhaps they should settle on someone (not you, Iman!)
Their bench features young big men Marvin Bagley and Harry Giles, whose roles need to be clarified. They have too much potential to sit on the pine.
3 keys to Raptors victory
- Body up on Hield. We don’t know if Kawhi Leonard will dress, but whether he or OG Anunoby gets the defensive assignment, they must stay within inches of this fellow on D. Sacramento’s 3-point stats are strange. They rank 27th in attempts, and second in percentage made.
- Crash the defensive boards. The Kings can only win this game if it’s a shootout, as they rank 26th in points allowed per game at 119.3. They are deep in big men who must be boxed out.
- Protect the ball. Most young teams can be “persuaded” to turn over the ball, but Sacramento is an exception. They are currently plus_2.4 in turnovers vs. takeaways, so sloppy passes could be damaging.
Prediction
There’s still no news on Kawhi’s availability, and the Raptors may not make a decision until nearly tipoff. Regardless, Toronto has demonstrated the capability of winning without him, assuming we receive balanced scoring. Sacramento hasn’t beaten a strong team yet.
Toronto Raptors 124 – Sacramento Kings 115