The Sacramento Kings have grown tired of getting nickeled and dimed… especially dimed. The Atlanta Hawks dropped an NBA-high 42 assists on them last week, sinking 20 three-pointers along the way to a 130-105 trouncing in Atlanta. The Kings will do all they can to avoid an encore performance tonight at Sleep Train Arena (10:00 PM Eastern, SportSouth, CSN California). But will that be enough to keep the Hawks from a franchise-record and NBA-best 23^rd road win?

If either team is stinking up the joint tonight, at least Kyle Korver won’t be able to tell. Sacramento got a little bit of assistance when the Lakers’ Ed Davis gave Korver the cold shoulder in the first half of Atlanta’s win at Staples Center last night. Korver was left behind in L.A. to treat his busted schnoz, although Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was planning to rest both him and Al Horford tonight anyway.

The Kings (22-43) return to their castle following an arduous, and mostly fruitless, two-week long road trip where they went 2-6, including last week’s 25-point defeat in Atlanta. Their sole road wins included a blowout win in New York and in Charlotte, a game where minutes-restricted Kemba Walker came off the bench following injury while Al Jefferson joined Cody Zeller on the Hornets sideline with an injury of his own.

The good news was the Kings averaged 106.8 PPG during that road trip, a number that should curl new coach George Karl’s lips upward. The downside? They gave up at least 110 points in each of their six losses. Sacramento’s 111.8 defensive rating this month is the league’s worst.

The Sixers fell behind by 18 in the third quarter last Friday before throwing the tank in reverse, backing it up Suge-style over the Kings with a 47-16 run in the space of less than one quarter. The next night in D.C., the Wizards spotted Sacramento a 64-46 second-quarter lead. Then, “poof!” Washington goes on a 65-28 run to conclude the proceedings in their favor.

If there is a way to render a 39-point, 24-rebound game and a 30-point, 5-assist game on back-to-back nights negligible, Sacramento is showing All-Star DeMarcus Cousins how to get it done. He’s averaged 24.1 PPG (49.2 FG%; 10.9 FT attempts and 80.5 FT%) and 12.5 RPG this month. But the rumor mill suggests the grumbling by the sad-Sac center about George Karl’s coaching scheme has already begun. One would think that Cousins would be thrilled with the news that Horford (9-for-13 FGs and 3 blocks vs. SAC on Mar. 9) will be sitting this one out, leaving Pero Antić and Elton Brand at his mercy around the rim. But Boogie Nights like he’s had lately should not end with such buzz-killing defeats.

Karl will look to Cousins early and often, and he’ll hope Derrick Williams can provide some punch since offensive black-hole Rudy Gay cannot go. Gay (team-high 23 points on 10-for-15 FGs) suffered a knee strain during the loss in Philly and will not play tonight. The burning question is which member of the Kings’ court will commit to stubbing opponents’ offensive momentum, especially in the second half when Karl’s pace (4^th in NBA) begins to wear down his own team. Carl Landry and Jason Thompson will have their work cut out for them to keep a refreshed Paul Millsap (5-for-7 FGs, 3-for-4 3FGs vs. SAC on Mar. 9) from having a big night.

Korver and the injured Mike Scott (toe) made up just under a third of Atlanta’s shot volume beyond the 3-point arc. Their indefinite absences will likely mean more three-point looks for rested forwards Millsap (35.3 March 3FG%) and DeMarre Carroll (36.8 3FG%) are forthcoming. Ben McLemore and Derrick Williams will need to keep Atlanta’s forwards in front of them and force them to settle for defended jumpers.

Kings point guards Andre Miller and Ray McCallum are likely to lose their man around the perimeter, so Sunday night’s hero Dennis Schröder (36.8 March 3FG%; career-high 24 points, 9-for-11 FTs, and 10 assists @ LAL), Shelvin Mack (52.9 March 3FG%, 8^th in NBA), and rested starter Jeff Teague (38.5 March 3FG%) may find open shots off screens when they’re not charging into the paint at Cousins and company.

Sacramento gives up threes from the right-corner at an NBA-high 45.8% clip, while their opponents shoot 64.9 FG% around the restricted area (2^nd-highest in NBA). Those woeful percentages can result in bountiful evenings for the Hawks’ point guards. But they must avoid leveling the playing field by getting called for offensive fouls on their drives, something Cousins and Miller are apt to try drawing.

A Trail Blazers’ victory in Washington earlier in the evening would grant the Hawks a chance to secure second-round homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs, if they prevail tonight in Sactown. A victory would also earn the Hawks a division title banner that fans, hopefully, won’t spend the next 21 years pretending not to care about.

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3