The Raptors aren’t what they once were, both figuratively and literally. After winning the NBA championship just a few years ago, the Raptors now find themselves hitting the reset button. They’re still in the Play-In Mix out East, but they’ve already traded OG Anunoby for RJ Barrett & Immanuel Quickley, and Pascal Siakam could be the next guy out the door as Toronto looks to rebuild around the impressive Scottie Barnes. The Kings could be among the suitors for Siakam themselves, so let’s win this game and show him how cool it’d be to trade maple syrup for purple beams.
Let’s talk Kings basketball!
When: Friday, January 5th, 7:00 PM PT
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Last Time
Three in the Key
New Kids on the Block
The Raptors are 2-0 since bringing in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley from New York, with both players starting off well with their new team. Both players have already been inserted into the starting lineup, with Quickley leading the team in scoring already in their last game against Memphis on Wednesday. Losing Anunoby hurts Toronto’s defense, but Quickley and Barrett bring some offensive pop that they didn’t have before. It also allows them to bring in Dennis Schroder off the bench, a very capable scorer in his own right. It remains to be seen how the trade will work out for the Raptors but they’ve been playing at a faster pace since the trade.
HIT YOUR DAMN FREE THROWS
The Kings are absolutely killing me with their free throw shooting woes this season. In their last game against Orlando, they had a chance to effectively win the game in both OTs if they could simply hit their free throws and they failed to do so each time. Thankfully it didn’t cost them that game, but it might have the night before against Charlotte. The Kings shot just 10 of 17 from the line in that game and lost by 7. For the season, the Kings are the worst Free Throw Shooting team in the entire NBA, making just 73% of their attempts. Our two stars, De’Aaron Fox (71.7%) and Domantas Sabonis (65.8%) are the biggest culprits given that they go to the line the most, and they’re both down 7 or more percentage points from last season. At this point I have to think it’s just a case of the yips but it rarely seems to be the case where both free throws are made. The Kings already don’t get to the line a ton, they have to make them when they do.
Friendliest Rims in the League
I don’t know what it is about Golden 1 Center, but opposing teams absolutely love shooting here. Kings opponents are shooting 39.5% from three in Sacramento, compared to just 36.4% on their own home floors. The Orlando Magic just set their franchise record for three pointers made two nights ago in this building despite coming into the game ranked as one of the worst three point shooting teams in the league. The Raptors are yet another team near the bottom of the league in both threes made and overall percentage. If the Kings can keep their opponents from scorching the rims for once, they should have a pretty good chance to come out victorious.
Prediction
De’Aaron Fox bounces back from what was probably his worst game of the season to have one of his best games of the season, topping the 40 point mark to lead the Kings to victory. Pascal Siakam is seen looking longingly at the Kings beam celebration after the game.
Kings 125, Raptors 114
