The Sports Informant

By Scott Levin
Sports Informant Contributing Writer

It seemed like everything was clicking. Tyreke Evans and Jon Brockman were back, and the Sacramento Kings came out of the gate with high energy and fluid offense. Beno Udrih and Carl Landry made steady contributions as well, and Sacramento sprinted to a 15-point lead. But the Kings came out flat in the second half. They scored just four points in the first 8:30 of the third quarter and watched the Indiana Pacers jump to a 102-95 victory.

1 – Evans returned to the court, and for the first half, the Evans-Udrih pairing looked just as smooth as before. But in the second half, Evans became more ball dominant. It is hard to fault him, as he saw the Kings large lead slipping away. Nonetheless, Udrih was a non-factor down the stretch, attempting just one shot and dishing out one assist in the final 9:55. This is nothing to panic about now, but the Kings need to find a better balance between the guards.

Tyreke Evans returned for the Kings, but it wasn't enough against the Pacers. (Photo courtesy Kurt Garcia)

2 – Evans was understandably rusty, but he still filled up the stat sheet, both positively and negatively. The rookie finished with 17 points (6-for-13 FG), 10 assists, seven rebounds, four steals and seven turnovers. Despite Paul Westphal’s hope to limit his playing time, Evans still saw 38 minutes of action. He appeared winded at times and also seemed to struggle adjusting to his new mouth guard.

3 – The Kings defense was the biggest letdown in the second half. Danny Granger is a difficult matchup for any team, but the Kings also allowed him way too many open looks. The same goes for Troy Murphy, who was generally unguarded beyond the three-point line despite his strength as a long-distance shooter. The Pacers pair combined for 52 points and connected on seven triples.

Quick hits – The injury problems continued for Sacramento. Spencer Hawes was in and out of the lineup throughout the game after taking a hit to the back of his knee. Westphal said he will likely miss tomorrow’s game. Landry, meanwhile, had his temporary bridge dislodged, meaning he will likely be returning to the dentist. He continued to play … Brockman was a welcome sight in his return after 20 games out. He played just five minutes but left his imprint on the game. He grabbed three rebounds (one offensive), drew a charge and a hit a 15-foot jumper … A game after playing well, Andres Nocioni was a hindrance Tuesday, missing eight of 12 shots, including two airballs.