Pacers at Kings
Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins will miss his fourth straight game when the Kings host the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Cousins was hospitalized while fighting a viral infection and the team announced that the standout big man won’t return until sometime next week. The Pacers are 0-3 entering the finale of a four-game road trip after losing to Portland on Thursday as they continue to struggle without injured All-Star Paul George.
The Kings have lost four straight games so the absence of Cousins – averaging 23.5 points and 12.6 rebounds – comes at a bad time. “Obviously, we want him to get healthy and get back as soon as possible,” Kings coach Michael Malone told reporters, “but as I told our guys after (Tuesday’s) game, we have enough players and enough talent in this locker room to step up and find a way to start winning some games.” The Pacers are just 3-7 on the road after their struggles on this trip.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, NBATV, FSN Indiana, CSN California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE PACERS (7-12): Guard Rodney Stuckey scored a team-high 16 points in the loss to Portland after failing to reach double digits in either of the first two games of the road trip. Stuckey had scored in double figures in five straight games – including two 20-point outings – before making just 6-of-16 shots in the first two games. Stuckey will continue to start with point guard George Hill (knee) sidelined and is averaging 12.4 points.
ABOUT THE KINGS (9-9): Point guard Darren Collison had just four points on 0-of-5 shooting in Tuesday’s loss to Toronto for his poorest outing of the campaign. After taking responsibility for his shaky effort, Collison turned his emphasis to the team’s four-game skid. “It’s a long year. Nobody said it’s going to be a perfect season, or even a good season,” Collison told reporters. “You have to make it a good season by working hard and going through the process and this is the process that we have to go through.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Indiana has won the last four meetings and eight of the past 11.
2. Sacramento is 0-14 without Cousins over the past two seasons.
3. C Roy Hibbert (904 blocked shots) is tied with Dale Davis for fourth place in Pacers’ history.