NBA 2K13: The Royal Kings

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Box Score: Sacramento Kings (5-2) vs Los Angeles Clippers (3-4)

Kings too strong; blows Clippers out 114-89
The Kings are just too powerful. They constantly attacked the paint and drew Free Throws, while preventing the Clippers from doing the same thing. Tyreke Evans had another excellent showing, though it was mostly due to his defender, Eric Bledsoe, who is too small to stop him. The outcome could have been a lot more lopsided, though, if it was not for the Clippers' amazing offensive rebounding, which saw the Clippers having a 16-10 edge in offensive rebounds.

Player of the Game: Tyreke Evans
36min/28pts/8a/8s/10-18 FG/2-3 3PT/6-6 FT
Evans had no problems going into the paint, since the shorter, smaller Eric Bledsoe just cannot stop him. Evans constantly attacked the paint and either dished the ball out to open teammates or just scored himself. He showed his improvements with his jumper, knocking down mid-range and 3 point shots. Offense aside, his defense on Chris Paul was amazing. He recorded a career-high 8 steals and forced 5 turnovers on Chris Paul. However, this was to be expected, since Evans was a lot stronger and taller than Paul.

Key Match-Up Winner: Demarcus Cousins
Demarcus Cousins: 32min/17pts/9r/4-5 FG/9-10 FT/4or
Blake Griffin: 34min/21pts/8r/10-17 FG/4or
It was tough to decide who the winner was, as the stats looked similar. It was Cousins who emerged victorious though, since he got Deandre Jordan into foul trouble which played a factor to the team's victory.

Rookie Watch: Otto Porter
25min/13pts/3r/5-8 FG/2-4 3PT/2b
Otto Porter has been excellent for the Kings, being a good on-ball defender and a good spot-up shooter. With Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas constantly attacking the paint, his ability to spot up and shoot the 3 fits in with the Kings system perfectly.

Sacramento Kings Stats
FG: 41-73 (56%) - 3PT: 10-25 (40%) - FT: 22-16 (84%) - 24 assists
Isaiah Thomas: 33min/15pts/10a/4-14 FG/2-9 3PT
Jason Thompson: 17min/8pts/4r/4-4 FG

Los Angeles Clippers Stats
FG: 39-80 (48%) - 3PT: 4-10 (40%) - FT: 7-10 (70%)
Chris Paul: 37min/11pts/8a/5to/5-12 FG
Caron Butler: 29min/17pts/6r
Deandre Jordan: 30min/14pts/12r/6-8 FG/7or

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Oh my goodness... Playing against Lakers now, without Howard and Nash, and we are killing them. Lead 71-34 after first and I didn't even set defensive settings.

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Game Preview: Sacramento Kings (6-2) vs Los Angeles Lakers (2-7)

The Lakers, unfortunately, after having a rather successful past season, stumbled out of the gates after losing Dwight Howard to free agency and Steve Nash to retirement. Though they still have 2 star players - Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol - both of them are declining due to their age. Not only that, there are very little talent surrounding the duo. The Lakers have Steve Blake and Stephen Jackson, who are old veterans as well, starting as PG and SF respectively, in addition to Samuel Dalembert starting at C. All 3 of them are't what you would call a startling caliber NBA player. In contrast, the Kings are an up and coming team, with good, young talents such as Tyreke Evans, Demarcus Cousins and Otto Porter. The Kings will appear to have the advantage here.

Key Match-Up: Tyreke Evans vs Kobe Bryant
Evans, who got his first All-Star nod last season, is one the league's best young guards. His skills are still improving, and that's frightening to think since his skills are one of the bests in the NBA. On the other hand, Bryant is a future Hall-of-Famer. While his skills have declined considerately, he is still one of the league's prolific scorers. He might have lost his athleticism, but his scoring ability and skills are still one of the league's best.

X-Factor: Offensive Production
The Kings are one of the league's best offensive teams, but they are average in defense. On the other hand, the Lakers are one of the worst teams, offensively and defensively. Bryant is the Lakers' best offensive weapon, but other than him, there's very little players who can score. If the Lakers' offense don't get going, it won't be surprising to see them get blown out.

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Box Score: Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Lakers

Dominant first half leads Kings to massive blowout 110-70
Fans expected a blowout, but not a 40 point blowout. The Lakers' offense could not get going all game long, as they turned over the ball twice and got their first shot of the night blocked in the first 2 minutes of the game, which gave the Kings an early 12-2 lead. They never seem to find their rhythm, as they kept turning over the ball and gave the Kings easy buckets, which helped them to build their own rhythm. After the 1st quarter, the Kings lead 40-16, and the Lakers had 7 turnovers which gave the Kings 11 points. Isaiah Thomas and Demarcus Cousins could not be stopped in the first; Thomas had 12pts on 4-4 shooting, including 2-2 from downtown and 6 assists while Cousins had 8pts and 5 rebounds on 3-3 shooting. In the second quarter, Evans caught fire and scored 11 points, giving him 16 first half points. After the 1st half, the Kings had a 71-34 lead, which pretty much sealed the victory for the Kings.

Player of the Game: Isaiah Thomas
Stats: 24min/22pts/7a/7-8 FG/4-4 3PT
Thomas could not miss from downtown. They kept leaving Thomas wide open, which helped him get into a groove offensively. The Lakers just cannot find a way to stop the little fella, and he made them pay.

Sacramento Kings (7-2)
Points: 110 - FG: 41-76 (53%) - 3PT: 12-27 (44%) - FT: 16-23 (69%)
Tyreke Evans: 25min/24pts/5a
Demarcus Cousins: 21min/15pts/7r/6-7 FG
Jimmer Fredette: 21min/11pts/5a/3-4 3PT

Los Angeles Lakers (2-8)
Points: 70 - FG: 27-70 (38%) - 3PT: 6-15 (40%) - FT: 10-14 (71%)
Kobe Bryant: 24min/18pts/2r/6-18 FG
Jon Brockman: 19min/9pts/10r/or