Tyreke Evans' absence did not seem to fade the Sacramento Kings as they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-99 Sunday at Power Balance Pavilion. Sacramento’s Marcus Thornton stepped up and had another big game, scoring a game-high 24 points with four assists, four steals and five rebounds. This was Thornton’s second big game in the row after Evans sprained his left ankle in Wednesday’s 124-114 loss against Detroit. Thornton said the defense has been the key to victory during the last two games, especially against Minnesota forward Kevin Love. “We did a great job on stopping Kevin Love, making it difficult for him,” the 6-foot-4 shooting guard said. “Every shot was a difficult shot f

       In the NBA, more than any other sport, games are affected by the whims of the schedule makers. In professional basketball, the home team wins more than 60 percent of the time, compared with about 58 percent of the time in the NFL, 55 percent in the NHL and 53 percent in MLB. (Oliver Entine, Deptartment of Statistics, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania).  So there's that, but then there are also the quirky irregularities of the schedule. Sometimes teams are made to play two nights in a row, while other times they'll get three nights off. So sometimes, you'll have a team that is playing its second road game in 27 hours pitted against a team that has been chilling at h

After missing five games because of a concussion sustained March 19 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Tyreke Evans returned to the Sacramento Kings' starting lineup. The rookie guard has averaged 14.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game in his three games since returning.  His scoring has taken a hit this week with his fifth single-digit scoring night of his rookie season on Saturday. On March 30 against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Evans had 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the Kings' 102-95 loss.  Although the numbers say that he had a productive night, Evans had four of his seven turnovers and 13 of his 17 points were scored in the fo

No, you read it right. This is not an early April Fool’s gag. The Sacramento Kings did lose to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their fifth and final game of the road trip. The Timberwolves (14-60) snapped a 16-game losing streak against the Kings (24-51), who are on a streak of their own. The Kings have lost their last six games. The Kings followed up last night’s terrible third-quarter performance, where they scored 14, with a second quarter in which they only scored 13. Minnesota’s big men controlled the paint and ultimately the game. Minnesota shot 56 percent compared to the Kings’ 46 percent. The Timberwolves are known just as well for their shooting as they are for their winning. S

After sitting out five games, Sacramento Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans could play today against the Indiana Pacers. After sustaining a concussion when the Milwaukee Bucks' Ersan Ilyasova inadvertently hit him with an elbow, he sat out for three games before practicing last Thursday in Boston. When Evans complained of a headache at practice, the team ruled him out for the next two games. The Kings (24-50) have not done well since Evans' injury, compiling a 1-4 record since then. After beating the Los Angeles Clippers in L.A., the Kings lost at home against the Memphis Grizzlies the next night. The team left for a five-game road trip and lost to a then seven-win New Jersey Nets team, th

Without a doubt, this has been the best basketball Tyreke Evans has played in his rookie season for the Sacramento Kings The Kings’ 20-year-old guard has averaged 19 points, 8.75 rebounds, 7.75 assists and 0.75 steals per game since March 9.  Since then, the Kings have played the Portland Trail Blazers in Portland and home games against the Toronto Raptors, the Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves. In that span the team has a 2-2 record. Evans posted 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and a steal in the 88-81 loss in Portland.  The Kings were within three points of the Blazers late in the game, but the experience of the Blazers overtook the Kings – the least-experienced team in the N

With four games played in March, Sacramento Kings rookie guard Tyreke Evans is still producing, despite his team losing three of the last four games to playoff-bound teams. Evans put up 17.5 points, 4.75 rebounds, 5.75 assists and 1.75 steals per game since March 2. He had had a team-high 27 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a team that has the sixth-best record in the Western Conference.  The Thunder's defense tightened up late in the game, securing a 113-107 home win over the Kings. Oklahoma City's top two players, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, combined for 69 points. The next night, the Kings were in Houston to play the Rocket