RealGM Wiretap
Tonight's game could be a shootout.
It could be played at a blistering pace, with end-to-end action, featuring buckets galore and a final score of 118-117.
It could be fun.
The matchup: Sacramento vs. Seattle, two of the NBA's most accurate teams, squaring off at KeyArena.
The circumstances: Both teams have power-forward problems.
Chris Webber won't play for the Kings, suspended by the NBA for one game after throwing an elbow at Utah's Jarron Collins last Saturday. Webber will miss his third consecutive game against the Sonics after sitting out the first two with a sprained ankle.
Vin Baker might not play for the Sonics after aggravating his bruised left shoulder Tuesday night in a 92-86 loss to Portland.
Originally injured in Milwaukee last Thursday, Baker twisted his shoulder trying to make a move on the Blazers' Rasheed Wallace in the third quarter.
The fact that X-rays were negative is a positive. But little else is. Baker feels stinging pain when he raises his shoulder. Although he's right-handed, the injury still affects his shot.
As evidence, Baker, a 50-percent shooter, went 3-for-10 against the Blazers.
"With the pain, it's tough to concentrate on making the shot," Baker said.
Off the court he has a difficult time with the simplest things, like putting on clothes. He also can't sleep on his left side.
But he wants to play. The team considers him questionable for tonight's game. Baker lists himself as probable.
"I want to try to help my team win basketball games," he said. "There is some degree of pain, regardless. There's no sense in staying out."
If forced to play without their biggest inside threats, the Kings and Sonics might engage in a fast-breaking affair that emphasizes their athleticism and ability to drain pull-up and spot-up jumpers.
Although the Sonics are plenty capable, that kind of game would favor the deeper, more versatile Kings, who arrive with the best record in the NBA at 33-10.
Sacramento also is used to playing without Webber, who has missed 23 games this season because of his ankle injury.
Vlade Divac supplies another effective offensive weapon on the block, and Scot Pollard figures to grab many of the rebounds that would have gone to Webber.
The Kings also have all of those freelancing, fluid types like Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson and Hedo Turkoglu, just to name five. Seven Kings score in double figures.
If the Sonics have to compensate for Baker in the paint, coach Nate McMillan can call upon, well, uh ... no one in particular.
Gary Payton has the best low-post moves, but he's a guard who needs to direct and distribute to maximize his teammates' potential. Other back-to-the-basket options, Desmond Mason and Rashard Lewis, were snuffed by the Blazers.
"After that, we're limited with who we can go with," McMillan said.
The coach didn't even discuss rebounding, probably because it is not his favorite subject.
With Baker's 6.6 rebounds a game, the Sonics are 28th in rebounding in a 29-team league. Without them, they might be 30th tomorrow morning after crashing the glass with the second-ranked Kings.
The Sonics have yet another problem: without Baker, they don't have an inside-out game, precluding many of the open perimeter shots that his teammates normally get.
In spite of statistical data that points to a Kings victory, the Sonics have a shot at the upset. They already beat Sacramento, 104-92, on Dec. 19 at KeyArena.
In addition, for a supposed championship contender, the Kings tend to stumble when they are not playing in front of their electrified fans at ARCO Arena. They are 9-9 on the road, a sign that Rick Adelman's team can be had tonight.
SONICS VS. KINGS
WHEN: Tonight at 7
WHERE: KeyArena
TV/RADIO: KONG/6, 16; KJR-AM/950
RECORDS: Kings 33-10, Sonics 23-21. Season series tied 1-1, with Kings winning 101-95 in Sacramento on Nov. 1 and Sonics winning 104-92 at KeyArena on Dec. 19.
INJURY REPORT: Kings: G Mateen Cleaves (sore foot) is out. Sonics: C Calvin Booth (ankle tendinitis) is out. F Vin Baker (bruised shoulder) is questionable.
SCOUTING REPORT: Kings have won 14 of their past 15 games. Their only loss in the past month was Jan. 22 at Portland, when the Blazers prevailed 116-110 in OT. Kings are coming off an impressive 114-90 victory at Utah Saturday night, in which Peja Stojakovic scored 25 points and Scot Pollard had 15 rebounds. ... Kings second in the league in shooting (.464) and scoring (104.4). ... Rainier Beach graduate Doug Christie returns to his hometown, averaging 13.2 points and 1.7 steals. He scored his season high of 23 points in most recent game here, a 104-92 loss on Dec. 19. ... Kings will miss suspended Chris Webber's 24.6 points and 10 rebounds, but Stojakovic should offset any offensive worries: the 6-foot-9 forward averages 22.8 points
OUTLOOK: Kings have more of everything, but the Sonics have been playing well of late, the loss to Portland notwithstanding. If forced to play without Baker, Sonics need to create with penetration, trying to free up the best perimeter firing squad in the league. The hunch is that Sacramento will be gunned down tonight.
LINE: Pick 'em
P-I PICK: Sonics, 110-102