The Kings (11-15) seek to end a five-game losing streak hosting the Lakers (8-18) in the finale of a five-game homestand.
After missing ten consecutive games due to viral meningitis, DeMarcus Cousins posted game highs of 27 points and 11 rebounds in Thursday’s 108-107 loss to the Bucks.
The Lakers have lost two straight including Friday’s 104-103 loss to Oklahoma City, which held Kobe Bryant to just nine points.
BETTING LINE
Lakers by 7.5
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Ben McLemore vs. Kobe Bryant. Bryant scored 32 points in the Lakers' 98-95 win over the Kings at the Staples Center. It must be McLemore and a team defensive effort to neutralize the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer who averages 24.6 points per game.
HERENDA’S AGENDA
1. No encore – Bryant went for 32 points in a December 9 win over the Kings in Los Angeles. This must be prevented.
2. Take care of the ball – The Kings are 5-2 when committing less than 15 turnovers.
3. No D from Lakers – Sacramento must exploit the Lakers' feckless defense, which allows 109.3 points per game.
INJURY UPDATE
Kings – C DeMarcus Cousin (viral meningitis), F Reggie Evans (left knee and hip contusion) and F Omri Casspi (knee contusion) are probable while G Ramon Sessions (lower back strain) is questionable.
Lakers – G Xavier Henry (ruptured left Achilles tendon), F Ryan Kelly (torn right hamstring), G Steve Nash (sciatic pain) and F Julius Randle (tibia fracture, right leg) are out.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the second of four meetings this season between the Kings and the Lakers. Sacramento was defeated at the Staples Center 98-95 on December 9.
Sacramento lost three of four games versus the Lakers last year and the Lakers lead the overall series 267-145, including 89-36 in the Sacramento era.
QUOTABLE
Darren Collison: “We just got to go out there and find a way to get a win. We can say this. We can say that. At the end of the day, how we get the win, we just got to get it.”
