Dec 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) controls the ball against Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The road to the playoffs begins tonight for the Sacramento Kings against the Dallas Mavericks. For one team, the journey will continue to Friday in a matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, but for the other the season will end from the single elimination game.
The Kings may have beaten the Mavericks in all three matchups this season, but this will be the first time they’ve played against this version of the Dallas squad.
In a game filled with intriguing matchups, there is still a single matchup that is sure to grab all of the attention going into the game as two of the league’s best bigs face off once again. Kings fans have had fun with this matchup in the past, as Sabonis won the first ten matchups against Davis, but since then, Davis has won the last four games.
Season Stats:
While Anthony Davis technically starts as the power forward for the Mavericks, there’s no doubt that he and Sabonis will square off throughout the game tonight. Even at the start of the game, it wouldn’t be surprising if Keegan Murray started on Derek Lively II while Sabonis guards Davis.
Even with his injury history, Davis is one of the best basketball players in the world. When he’s healthy, his combination of offense and defense can dominate a game. In four games against the Kings this season as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Davis recorded 11 total blocks, reaching six in a single game.
He’s one of the most effective shot blockers in the NBA, but generally his blocked shots come as a help defender. Only three of the eleven blocks were on Sabonis, with the other eight being predominantly on driving guards.
That should bode well for Sabonis, who generally fares surprisingly well against shot-blockers. But that doesn’t mean the Kings should force the ball inside over and over again, especially if they are getting their shots rejected repeatadly by Davis.
One of the biggest keys to this game could be Sabonis’ three-point shot. He’s coming off a season-high four made threes (on four attempts) in the season finale against the Phoenix Suns.
Sabonis only had five games this season where he made three or more threes, but the Kings went 4-1 in those five contests. When he hits his outside shot, it opens up everything for Sacramento’s offense.
And going up against not only Anthony Davis, but Derek Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and a tall and athletic Mavs frontcourt, drawing their bigs out to the three-point line would create a huge advantage for the Kings.
The other number to watch will be Sabonis’ assist numbers. With no true point guard on the team since Malik Monk went down with injury, the Kings have been running their offense through Sabonis more, and it’s been paying off as his and Zach LaVine’s chemistry has grown.
Stat Predictions:
Domantas Sabonis: 17 PTS, 16 REB, 8 AST, 1 BLK, 0 STL
Anthony Davis: 32 PTS, 13 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK, 1 STL
