To have any chance at the playoffs, the Kings MUST win. This one game is everything.
Without Bagley, the Kings probably don't have the athletic talent of NO in this game. Zion, Ingram, Hayes, Holiday, and Hart are an athletic bunch. Therefore, to win the Kings must play better basketball than the Pels - fewer turnovers, more assists, and higher basketball intelligence all the way around. If they do a blown defensive coverage, it could be the difference. If they don't always get back on D, it could be the difference. They can't do stuff like double teaming Favors in the post and leaving open short corner 3s. That will be death. They've got to be totally on in this game. And of course, they better hit their 3 point shots. I am happy to say the Pels don't have Redick for tonight's game. That leaves Ingram, Ball, and to a lesser extent, Holiday as their 3 point shooting marksmen. Yes, Ball, is shooting near a 40% clip over the last 18 games or so from the line. Fox and Co. must take him seriously with his outside shooting.
It's great that the Kings have Holmes back and Len available in this game. They might be able to offset some of Zion's power inside.