#81 ·
03:00, Sacramento vs. Memphis, tip: DeMarcus Cousins under 17.5 points @ 1.85, DraftKings
So, looking at DeMarcus Cousins, the Sacramento Kings center is heading into a matchup that looks like a total uphill battle in the paint, especially since they’re facing the Memphis Grizzlies, who basically have one of the most suffocating interior defenses in the league. Last season, those guys were easily sitting in the top three for rim protection. They’ve taken a bit of a hit this year, mostly because Zach Randolph has been out, but now that he's back in the mix, things should feel much more stabilized for them. When you look at the history books, Cousins averages about 11 points over his last six games against Memphis, mostly because Pau Gasol and the rest of that squad know exactly how to shut him down. In their last meeting, Cousins managed to drop 19, but let's be real—that was largely thanks to Thornton getting injured early and forcing some lineup shifts. A huge chunk of Cousins' scoring usually comes from crashing the glass since he's pretty solid on the offensive boards (averaging 4.2 per game), but I really doubt he's going to get nearly as many second-chance opportunities against a Memphis frontcourt that won't give him an inch. Plus, we can't forget that Cousins is notorious for being a bit of a headache when it comes to fouls; he's currently averaging about 4 fouls a game, so there's a very real chance he gets sucked into foul trouble early and spends half the night riding the bench. Even though he’s playing in front of his home crowd where he usually finds a bit more rhythm, facing off against a guy like Gasol—who is such a beast at defending isolation plays and post-ups—makes me think it's going to be a tough night for him to find his scoring touch.
So, looking at DeMarcus Cousins, the Sacramento Kings center is heading into a matchup that looks like a total uphill battle in the paint, especially since they’re facing the Memphis Grizzlies, who basically have one of the most suffocating interior defenses in the league. Last season, those guys were easily sitting in the top three for rim protection. They’ve taken a bit of a hit this year, mostly because Zach Randolph has been out, but now that he's back in the mix, things should feel much more stabilized for them. When you look at the history books, Cousins averages about 11 points over his last six games against Memphis, mostly because Pau Gasol and the rest of that squad know exactly how to shut him down. In their last meeting, Cousins managed to drop 19, but let's be real—that was largely thanks to Thornton getting injured early and forcing some lineup shifts. A huge chunk of Cousins' scoring usually comes from crashing the glass since he's pretty solid on the offensive boards (averaging 4.2 per game), but I really doubt he's going to get nearly as many second-chance opportunities against a Memphis frontcourt that won't give him an inch. Plus, we can't forget that Cousins is notorious for being a bit of a headache when it comes to fouls; he's currently averaging about 4 fouls a game, so there's a very real chance he gets sucked into foul trouble early and spends half the night riding the bench. Even though he’s playing in front of his home crowd where he usually finds a bit more rhythm, facing off against a guy like Gasol—who is such a beast at defending isolation plays and post-ups—makes me think it's going to be a tough night for him to find his scoring touch.
