Key #2 – Protect the perimeter
Surprisingly enough, if there’s one thing the Sacramento Kings do well, it’s shooting the three-ball as they currently rank second in the league in three-point percentage at 38.5 percent, trailing only the Golden State Warriors. Therefore, not only will Utah need to experience an uptick in their own three-point shooting, but it will be imperative that they hold the Kings very much in check in that aspect on their end of the floor.
Interestingly, while the Kings convert at an outrageously high clip, they also don’t pull the trigger all that often. They’re third to last in the league in three-point attempts at 23.3 per game. For a little perspective that’s nearly HALF as many attempts as the Houston Rockets take per game.
In other words, while the three-point shot is one that the Kings have found success with, it’s not something that they capitalize on all that often. So Utah’s priority along with contesting any and all three-point shots should be to simply ensure that Sacramento doesn’t get comfortable or into any sort of a rhythm from beyond the arc.
The Kings’ best chance of winning will be catching fire from deep, but as long as Utah prevents them from doing so by stopping them from getting easy attempts, it’s unlikely that they’ll have the offensive firepower to do much damage in any other area.