Kings at Rockets
THE STORY: The Houston Rockets are running out of games in their bid to snag the final postseason berth in the Western Conference. Houston probably needs to win out in its last five games – starting with Tuesday’s contest against the visiting Sacramento Kings – and hope for some help. The Rockets have won two straight and eight of their last 10 games, but they remain stuck three games behind Memphis and New Orleans for the No. 8 slot in the West. They visit New Orleans on Wednesday, so there is an opportunity to put pressure on the Hornets in the season’s final week.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, CSKA, KTXH
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (41-36): Houston erased a 14-point first-half deficit and then came back from three points down in the final four minutes to hold off visiting Atlanta 114-109 on Sunday night. Kevin Martin poured in 35 points to lead all five starters in double figures as Houston extended its home winning streak to seven games. Center Chuck Hayes had a solid all-around game, scoring 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Kyle Lowry needed six stitches after he was elbowed in the lip by Zaza Pachulia, but he scored 15 of his 17 points after going in for repairs.
ABOUT THE KINGS (22-54): Sacramento won for the fifth time in seven games with Tyreke Evans getting 24 points and 10 assists in Sunday’s 106-97 win over the Utah Jazz. The turnaround has coincided with the return of reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Evans, whose minutes have increased in each of the last six games after he was sidelined for 19 contests due to plantar fasciitis. Rookie DeMarcus Cousins added 17 points, nine rebounds and five steals for Sacramento, which could be relocating to Anaheim after this season.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Martin scored 68 points in wins against Atlanta and San Antonio over the weekend. He has four 30-point games in his last seven. After a three-game stretch he which he averaged 27.6 points and four 3-pointers per game, Kings guard Marcus Thornton had averaged 13.0 points and gone 0 of 9 from beyond the arc in his last two.
KEY STATISTIC: Don’t expect a defensive struggle between two teams that rank in the top 10 in points allowed. The Kings (104.3) give up one-tenth of a point more per game than Houston (104.2).
SEASON SERIES: The Rockets have won all three meetings, starting with a 118-105 home victory on Dec. 14. Houston won the last two in Sacramento – 102-93 on Dec. 19 and 123-101 on March 7.
KEY INJURIES: HOUSTON: G Kyle Lowry (face); G Terrence Williams (abdominal). SACRAMENTO: G Marquis Daniels (neck).
LAST WORD: “All we can do is try to win games. ... We can't control New Orleans or Memphis. We are going to keep playing hard and try to keep winning games.” – Rockets forward Luis Scola on the uphill climb for the final playoff berth.