Two Things to Watch for as Rockets Host the Kings

The Houston Rockets are looking to start their first winning streak since early February, facing the Sacramento Kings tonight at 7 p.m. CT. At home, they're heavily favored after crushing the Utah Jazz on Monday, 125-105.

The Rockets have had their own struggles this season, particularly on the offensive end, but there has been almost nothing to like about the Kings. At 13-46, they're last in the Western Conference by a wide margin, hoping to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Sacramento will be without a few key players, including Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis and De'Andre Hunter. Meanwhile, Houston will be missing Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams and Jae'Sean Tate. Here two things to look out for in tonight's matchup:

Paint Defense

On the season, the Rockets have somewhat struggled to keep players out of the paint, allowing 48.7 points in that area per game (11th in the NBA). The Kings, on the other hand, have been way worse at 54.2 per game, which ranks 28th.

Both teams occupy the bottom two spots in the league in terms of three-pointers attempted per game. With LaVine and Hunter out, Sacramento has even more of an incentive to get to the rim if it wants to play to its strengths (i.e., Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan, Maxime Raynaud). Houston could do the same.

Tonight could be decided by how each team protects the paint. The Rockets have opted to go with height-infused lineups featuring an extremely tall backcourt of Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün and even Clint Capela at times. The Kings, on the other hand, have a defensive-oriented duo of Raynaud and Precious Achiuwa inside.

Ball Movement

This could end up being a bit of an ugly game due to both teams lacking true ball movement. The Rockets, despite being one of the top teams in the West, have struggled with turnovers due to the absence of Fred VanVleet. They rank 28th in giveaway rate and 25th in assists per game.

The Kings, on the other hand, have been flat-out poor no matter who is on the floor. They're slightly better at taking care of the ball (16th in turnover rate), but rarely score on movement, ranking 22nd in assists per game.

Houston shouldn't have too much of an issue getting around Sacramento's 119.9 defensive rating, which ranks 29th in the NBA. Thus, like its previous win against the Jazz, the focus should be on running an efficient offense and developing ball movement.