The Kings have gotten out to a solid league on the road against a very good Hawks team, mostly by using their size. The Kings are absolutely killing Atlanta in rebounds, especially on the offensive glass. Sacramento has 11 Offensive Boards and 30 Total, while Atlanta only has 16. Jason Thompson and Donté Greene both have 4 offensive boards. The Kings had 40 of their 62 points in the paint, 16 more than the Hawks.
Sacramento also has some balanced scoring with four players (Evans, Cousins, Udrih, Thompson) in double figures, with Thompson the high scorer with 12 points.
The Hawks are being kept in this game by their stars Al Horford and Joe Johnson. Horford was great in the first quarter, and finished the half with 15 pionts, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Johnson had 14 of his 18 points in the 2nd, hitting from outside or inside, and also finding his open teammates (4 assists).
Sacramento is doing a good job of taking Jamal Crawford out of the game, as he only has 5 points. Crawford killed Sacramento the last time they played. Still, he’s liable to go for 20 in a half any night, so you can’t leave him.
An upset tonight would be a great way to end this road trip for Sacramento, and a much needed morale boost.