Kings Projected Starting Line-up:
PG: Beno Udrih
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Omri Casspi
PF: Jason Thompson
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Key Reserves: Carl Landry, Samuel Dalembert
Injuries: Francisco Garcia
The Lakers host the struggling Kings tonight and hope for an easy victory.
Frontcourt: Rookie Cousins has difficulty staying out of foul trouble. His respectable averages of 13 points and 7.6 rebounds are overshadowed by his dismal 42.6% field goals. At the four, Thompson is an imposing physical specimen, however he lacks the on court skills to make use of his height and length. The Kings have solid backups off the bench: workhorse Landry and defensive specialist Dalembert.
Backcourt: Evans has recently recovered from a foot injury and is returning to form. He is a match-up problem since he can play the point, shooting guard, and small forward position. However, Evans is a below average shooter and has a propensity for turning the ball over. Rounding out the backcourt, Casspi is a three point threat and Udrih is shot first point guard.
Keys to Laker Victory:
The Lakers should pound the ball down low to Pau and Bynum. The Kings really have no answer for the Laker bigmen. Artest should be able to shut down Evans and force him to have an ineffcient shooting night. The Kings/Lakers rivalry is not what it used to be. Expect the Lakers should win this game easily.
Laker Injuries: Theo Ratliff, Matt Barnes