Kings-Rockets Matchup of the Game: Domantas Sabonis vs Alperen Şengün

After two wins against teams at the bottom of the standings, the Sacramento Kings (30-28) continue their road trip against a more challenging Houston Rockets (37-22) that sit comfortably at fifth in the Western Conference standings.

After losing six straight games, the Rockets have rebounded and won five of their last seven games. Both of these teams have a number of players that can lead the game in scoring on any given night, leaving the matchup of the game as a subjective choice.

For the third matchup of the season, we look at the bigs in the middle in Domantas Sabonis and Alperen Şengün.

Season Stats:

Domantas Sabonis: 19.9 PTS, 14.4 REB, 6.3 AST, 0.6 STL, 0.4 BLK, 59.6 FG%, 43.2 3P%

Alperen Şengün: 18.9 PTS, 10.6 REB, 4.8 AST, 1.2 STL, 0.8 BLK, 48.6 FG%, 22.8 3P%

Domantas Sabonis is one of the league's most consistent players, which makes his last two games so confusing.

Sabonis scored 7 points against the Charlotte Hornets and 12 against the Utah Jazz. It's not necessarily the low points that stands out, but his shooting from the field. In those two games, he shot 3-of-7, 42.9%, and 5-of-12, 41.7%, from the field. Pair that with 0-of-6 from beyond the arc, and it's arguably his worst two-game stretch of the year.

Over the last 11 games, Sabonis is shooting 53.1% from the field and 23.1% from deep, both far below his season averages.

With the All-NBA center being one of the most consistent players in the NBA, tonight would be a great game to get back on track. In the previous two matchups, Sabonis has scored 20 and 27 points on a combined 21-of-32, 65.6%, from the field.

Şengün has his moments on defense, but it's a matchup that Sabonis should be able to take advantage. The Kings have a roster where they can spread out the wealth and use a balanced approach to win, but if Sabonis is feasting inside tonight, they should go to it over and over.

On the flipside, Şengün has also played well against the Kings this season, scoring 21 and 24 points on 51.4% from the field. He doesn't take many threes at just 1.4 per game, but made two of his four against the Kings this season.

Where Şengün can really wreak havoc is on the offensive glass. He averages 3.3 per game, tied for 8th most in the NBA. It's one of the many reasons the Rockets lead the league with 17.8 second chance points per game.

The Kings do a good job limiting second-chance looks and holding opponents to 13.3 second-chance points per game, the 9th fewest in the league, and the addition of Valančiūnas should only help as reinforcements to Şengün and the Rockets on the glass.

Stat predictions:

Domantas Sabonis: 28 PTS, 15 REB, 11 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK

Alperen Şengün: 18 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST, 0 STL, 2 BLK

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