Kings Vs Rockets preview: Durant leads Rockets into Sacramento test
The kings vs rockets matchup on Wednesday, February 25, pits the 35-21 Houston Rockets against the 13-46 Sacramento Kings; Kevin Durant is averaging 25. 9 points, 5. 4 rebounds and 4. 5 assists for Houston, while Sacramento won the teams' last meeting 111-98 on Jan. 12 when DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points.
Kings Vs Rockets: records, recent form and last meeting
Western Conference foes meet for the fourth time this season, and Sacramento’s 13-46 overall mark contrasts with Houston’s 35-21; the Kings are 9-30 in Western Conference play and 5-29 in games decided by 10 points or more, while Houston has gone 20-16 against Western Conference opponents. The Kings snapped a 16-game losing streak with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, and the Rockets' most recent headliner, Kevin Durant, is averaging 25. 9 points per game.
Rockets short-handed but still balanced on offense and defense
Injuries have shaped Houston’s rotation: Jae’Sean Tate will miss the next four to six weeks and Amen Thompson is sidelined with quadriceps tendonitis, and the Rockets list Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams as out for the season. Houston averages 114. 5 points per game and has outscored opponents by 5. 1 points per game, while the Rockets' recent 10-game sample shows a 6-4 mark and an average of 107. 3 points.
How Sacramento matches up and what the odds see
Sacramento shoots 46. 2% from the field this season and has been porous defensively in recent stretches, with opponents averaging 122. 8 points over the Kings' last 10 games; the Kings gave up 121. 0 points per game in a comparison that puts pressure on their depleted rotation. Betting previews have leaned toward a lower-scoring game, with a best bet listed at Under 221. 5, and handicapters note Houston’s defense has ranked better than its offense since January, constraining the Kings’ options.
Individual matchups to watch include Durant, who has cleared several scoring props recently and remains Houston’s primary scoring option, and Jabari Smith Jr., who is averaging 18. 6 points over his last 10 games for the Rockets. Sacramento’s stat lines in recent games list a team struggling to hold leads, including a 1-9 last-10 stretch with 43. 8% shooting while opponents have shot 43. 8% as well.
Houston faces travel implications: the Rockets must fly to Orlando immediately after this game for the second night of a back-to-back against the Magic, with that Orlando game scheduled for tomorrow night on the road. Sacramento will try to protect home court and build on its recent win, while Houston will aim to get starters out of the fourth quarter early to preserve legs for the back-to-back.
