Record on the 6 game road trip?

[Bricklayer]

Well, that 5 game homestand went the way just about nobody predicted it would, so let's see how wrong we can all be about the beginning of the toughest 12 game stretch remaining in the Kings season. We start off the stretch with a 6 game/2 sets of back to backs road trip filled with all kinds of scary sounding teams just waiting to beatdown a little team of defenseless chuckers. But scratch the surface, and there may be more weakness there than the scary names alone indicate.

Here's the 6games:

1/14 @IND -- with 29-7 Indy coming off 3 days of rest. Umm...Maybe they'll be rusty?
1/15 @MIN -- back to back too. hope would be that Min is actually sub-.500 right now (18-19), and they choke the close ones
1/17 @MEM -- another scary sounding name, but Marc Gasol should still be out, and only 17-19 overall
1/19 @OKC -- 28-9, but wounded without Westbrook
1/21 @NOP -- 15-23 and spiraling with massive injury woes, but may have some of their guys back by then
1/22 @HOU -- another back to back against a 24-14 team, but we beat them there just a few weeks ago

Meanwhile we are riding a 3 game win streak, have beat a number of quality opponents of late, are 7-8 since Gay arrived, and 6-4 in our last 10. Is there hope? Or do we get reminded one more time we're a second class franchise?

Survey says?

 

[Gilles]

Went with a bit of an optimistic 3-3, though was split between that and 2-4. Like Kings' chances against Grizzlies and Pelicans as those has little chance of guarding Cousins or Gay. Still think they pull off one of the other 4 games. But as always wheels coming off the wagon is just as likely. Still young. Still inexperienced.

 

[JLoss22]

Brutal. I'll say 2-4

 

[jalfa]

voted 1-5 with the thinking that the lone win comes against NOP. last time 'round I was right for the wrong reasons, let's see how this one turns out.

 

[Warhawk]

Went with a bit of an optimistic 3-3, though was split between that and 2-4. Like Kings' chances against Grizzlies and Pelicans as those has little chance of guarding Cousins or Gay. Still think they pull off one of the other 4 games. But as always wheels coming off the wagon is just as likely. Still young. Still inexperienced.

Yeah, agreed, trying to decide between 2-4 and 3-3. Was optimistic last time at 3-2 and it worked out. Gonna go 3-3 thinking we take MEM, NO, and HOU. Could just as easily chosen 2-4.

 

[Spike]

Was a tough call. Momentum that you get at home doesn't come as easily on the road. As such, I went with 2-4. I think the talent to pull off 4-2 is there, but the stew needs to simmer a bit more.

 

[Arkitect]

Having had my optimism crushed so, so many times over my many years as a Kings fans I am going to go 1 - 5. I would be happy with 2 - 4 and ecstatic with 3 - 3.

 

[Entity]

depends on the start. we start with the win i say 4-2 start with loss i go 3-3

 

[HereWeBoogie]

Went with 3-3. i think they will suprise us and beat one of the playoff teams (Probably OKC) and they will drop a dud to one of the sub .500 teams but will beat 2 of them

 

[Padrino]

it's a tough road trip. i'd like to see the kings split it 3-3, but i feel like they're gonna walk away from it 2-4.

 

[Heuge]

Sadly. 0-6.

 

[rexb_kings]

3-3, hoping i'm wrong and they do better. Losses to Indiana and Minnesota. Pacers is a given win and then next night get TWolves, so 0-2 start right there. Then win at Memphis, OKC!! then NO. Capped by a loss to Houston as Kings will be coming from back-to-back with NO.

 

[KingdomeCome]

After we beat the Pacers tomorrow all the other teams will be a welcome relief. 7 - 0

My optimism for this team remains unflappable in the face of the flapped.

 

[KingMilz]

Judging by how we play we will lose badly to the average teams in Pelicans and Minny we will take huge leads against the Pacers/OKC to have to come back but we still win by 2-3points and we will trash Houston again. We will play down to Memphis as well so 3-3

 

[jcwkings]

Judging by how we play we will lose badly to the average teams in Pelicans and Minny we will take huge leads against the Pacers/OKC to have to come back but we still win by 2-3points and we will trash Houston again. We will play down to Memphis as well so 3-3

You can't really "play down" to teams on the road, especially since every team we play will have a better record than us. We will lose to the Pacers, but Minnesota, Memphis, OKC (a one man team atm), Pelicans are all winnable or at least we will have a fighters chance. Houston will probably give us a whipping having lost to us twice in the last few weeks and the game being the last of the trip and a back to back.

In the end 2-4 wouldn't be terrible, 3-3 would be awesome, anything less would suck but expected, anything more would be amazing.

 

[c-webb1s#1]

Anyone know how well Rudy plays D against Durant? I was wondering since he seems like hes just as long and as quick as KD is.

 

[Bricklayer]

Anyone know how well Rudy plays D against Durant? I was wondering since he seems like hes just as long and as quick as KD is.

Unfortunately Durant has not seemed very impressed over his career:

Gay v. Durant, career (15 games):
Durant 40.3min 28.5pts (.485 .246 .894) 7.7reb 3.2ast 0.9stl 1.5blk 3.5TO
RuGay 40.2min 20.7pts (.427 .277 .711) 6.7reb 2.1ast 1.4stl 0.9blk 2.1TO

 

[DesertFox]

If it's a competitive 6 games, 2 wins would be great.

 

[Mass]

I'm going with 1-5.

0-6 would be depressing
1-5 would be bad but not unexpected
2-4 would be ok
3-3 would be very good
4-2 would be great
5-1 would be unbelievable
6-0 ready for a Championsip run

 

[funkykingston]

50+ win teams generally win 75-80% of their home games and are just north of 50% on the road. For the Kings to go 3-3 on a tough road trip that has only maybe the Jrue-less Pelicans as the only tomato can would be really impressive. They've got some positive momentum right now and seem to be gelling well, so it might be possible.

One interesting thing about the Pacers is that Kings match up pretty well with them. Gay/George and Cousins/Hibbert will be interesting to watch. Especially since Cuz seems to really relish facing the other top big men in the league this season. The big question is whether they can match the defensive intensity that Indiana seems to bring every game. A win to open the trip against another top notch opponent would really open some eyes around the league to what the Kings seem to be building in Sacramento.

 

[LoungeLizard]

A .500 road trip would be a huge success considering the teams we're playing. Likely we go 2-4 but very possible we only get 1. I went with 2-4.

 

[origkds]

I think our guys are starting to play with some pride. If we can play the next 6 games like we did our last I don't think that 4-2 is impossible. I know, I really need to change my name from Origkds to #1KingsHomer.

 

[I~true]

4-2 for sure. We got this.

 

[VF21]

I went with 3-3.

 

[whozit]

I went with 3-3. I am probably being optimistic, this is a brutal 6 game stretch. If the team comes out of it 2-4 and maintains team composure while playing competitive ball that will still be very good.

 

[Gary]

2-4. I think we will win a couple. I think we will play well enough to win in 3 or 4 of the games though.

 

[ParniValjak]

I think 2-4 but hoping for 3-3 or better. Have voted for 3-3 as I am a glass half full type of guy!

 

[Entity]

Just curious if we went 6-0. How many of you would absolutely lose it and start predicting playoffs?

 

[annihilator_33]

I said 6-0 just for fun

 

[HndsmCelt]

3/3 would be good and not too much to ask but to paraphrase Jerry Garcia "what a long strange trip"