NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from Houston Rockets vs Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings faced a traveling Houston Rockets team in an exciting match in Sacramento, California. The Kings have had a superb season and almost exceeded expectations with their performances.
They have a 38-40 record this season, which has landed them in the 9th spot in the Western Conference. Although they are 7.5 games behind the 8th seed, they really made a strong run for the playoffs. They have won 5 of their last 10 games, including the game against Rockets tonight, which they lost 105-130.
The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, played some great basketball to get their 50th win of the season and are just half a game ahead of the 4th placed Portland Trail Blazers. The Rockets have a 50-28 record and have won 8 of their last 10 matches.
The Houston Rockets thoroughly outperformed the Sacramento Kings in this game in a solid 130-105 win. Let us take a look at the 3 biggest talking points to come out of this entertaining match.
#3 Chris Paul has not returned to his peak
Chris Paul has been a mainstay in most discussions about the best point guards to play in the history of the game, mainly in this decade. His performances have always been extraordinary and he has led a lot of teams onto the path of victory.
He joined the Houston Rockets in a massive trade from the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2017-18 season and instantly made the Rockets a serious title contender. They won the regular season that year, with Paul playing a solid role for them.
He signed a new 4-year deal with them this season after they were unable to win last season. But he has been ravaged by a lot of injuries this season, which has restricted his season to just 54 games as of now.
Even in the games he has played, Paul has been unable to have the same impact he had on the Rockets last season. He is averaging just 15.5 points per game, his lowest for almost a decade. He is also getting just 8.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds a game.
Maybe he is saving himself for the playoffs so as to be fresh for the huge matches that are coming up soon, but it is seriously a concern for the Rockets which should worry them in the long term as they have signed an injury prone guard towards the end of his career for a lot of money. He needs to perform for the Rockets in the playoffs otherwise they do not have much of a chance.