Don’t count Sacramento out

Pacific Division rivals square off on Thursday when the Los Angeles Lakers welcome the Kings to the Staples Center. It is the second meeting of the season between the clubs. On January 19th, Mike Bibby scored 40 points and Kenny Thomas registered a triple-double, as the Kings knocked off the Lakers, 118-109, in an overtime thriller at ARCO Arena.

The winning team has scored over 100 points in the last 14 meetings between the Lakers and Sacramento, which has won three straight contests. The Kings have won two straight at the Lakers. The teams will meet twice more this season. The clubs will clash on March 14th at Sacramento and again on March 22nd at the Staples Center.

Sacramento attempts to win its second straight game on Thursday. Brad Miller scored 17 points and Bibby netted 16 as the Kings crushed the Golden State Warriors, 102-77, at ARCO Arena.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim added 15 points off the bench in the win over Golden State for the Kings, who won their ninth straight home game. Rookie Francisco Garcia scored 13 points, while forward Kenny Thomas pulled down 13 rebounds in the victory.

The Kings are a dismal 7-18 on the road this season. They have lost five of their last six games as the visitor.

Miller is averaging 15.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game this season. He has scored in double-digits in 10 straight contests and has registered four double-doubles in that span.

Sacramento has scored over 100 points in five of its last seven contests. The Kings are 7-3 in their last 10 games overall.

The Kings are scheduled to play 16 of their final 28 games this season on the road.