Rockets at Kings
With their playoff seed secure, the Houston Rockets commence their final road trip of the regular season Sunday with a visit to the Sacramento Kings. The Rockets fell 114-109 against the Detroit Pistons on Friday at home, their fourth loss in the last six games.
The swoon is meaningless in terms of playoff positioning, as Houston has clinched the No. 3 seed, but the team would like to get back on track before the postseason begins. "We didn't come out and play, we didn't play together, we didn't execute, we didn't defend," Rockets guard Patrick Beverley told reporters Friday. "I don't care if this game didn't count, this is a NBA game and we're trying to have good habits. We didn't create good habits tonight. We didn't play well at all tonight. We have to play better if were talking about winning championships." Houston will have a chance to create good habits at Sacramento, having won four straight meetings and 11 of the past 12. The Kings open their final homestand of the season after falling 98-94 at the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, NBATV, ROOT (Houston), NBC Sports California (Sacramento)
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (53-26): Beverley had just one field goal in three attempts against the Pistons but managed a career-high 13 rebounds, five assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes. James Harden finished with 33 points and 12 rebounds while Ryan Anderson (ankle) returned from a six-game absence to contribute nine points in 13 minutes. "That was a good first little test just to see it moving and getting it warmed up," Anderson told the media. "It feels good - there's not real movement that I felt where I was questioning it."
ABOUT THE KINGS (31-48): Sacramento has fallen shy of 100 points in six of its last seven games and it was done in by 23 turnovers in Friday's loss. Rookie forward Skal Labissiere scored a team-high 19 points and he has made his only two 3-point attempts over seven-game stretch. Point guard Ty Lawson has been rested two games in a row while center Kosta Koufos has missed five straight for the same reason.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Harden is averaging 16 points against the Kings, lower than any other opponent this season.
2. Beverley has at least eight boards in four of his last five contests.
3. If Sacramento wins out, it will post its best victory total since 2007-08.