The rookie Tyreke Evans (7-16) made a great defensive play for the Sacramento Kings (11-13) to seal the victory over the Washington Wizards.  With the clock winding down at the end of the game, the Wizards’ star Gilbert Arenas had Evans isolated at the top of the key and Evans picked his pocket.  It was a very clean steal and Evans calmly knocked down the two free throws to help seal the win.  Evans finished the game with 26 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and that big steal at the end of the game.  Andres Nocioni also had a nice game for the Kings, giving them 20 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.  Arenas led the Wizards with 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists.  This was an exciting win for the Kings and it was a great play by their star rookie.

The Sacramento Kings (10-13) really struggled scoring the ball and fell to the Portland Trailblazers (15-11) because of it.  They shot 44% from the field and had 13 turnovers.  Tyreke Evans and Jason Thompson played well for the Kings, but the three other starters played poorly and combined for only 15 points.  Evans had 19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals while Thompson had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists.  Beno Udrih had a solid night off the bench, coming in and giving the Kings 17 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals.  The Kings kept it close, but they could not stop the Blazers’ combo of Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge.  Roy had 25 points and 10 assists, and Aldridge had 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists.  Jerryd Bayless also hurt the Kings a lot, coming off the bench for 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.  His aggressiveness was not handled well by the Blazers, as Bayless got to the free throw line 10 times, going 8-10, in only 24 minutes of play.  The Kings need some more guys to step it up on the offensive end as their offense nearly shut down when it was needed most, scoring only 15 points in the final quarter.

Tyreke Evans has not only been the Sacramento Kings best rookie this season, but their best player.  Evans was picked 4th in the NBA draft but has arguably been the best rookie so far this season.  He has already proven to be a top guard in this league and is not playing anything like a rookie.  Evans has played up to and even surpassed the hype that has surrounded him coming into the NBA.  See if Evans tops my list of the Top Rookies in the NBA so far, or if the Bucks’ Brandon Jennings is ahead of him.

The Sacramento Kings knew they would have one of the best rookies this year in Tyreke Evans, but they weren’t sure what they would get out of Omri Casspi.  Casspi has been playing well beyond expectations and has been a great addition for this Kings team.  His shooting has been great all season, especially from three point land.  See where Omri Casspi ranks against some of the other good rookies here:  Top Rookies in the NBA so far.

Tyreke Evans had a great game last night and led the Sacramento Kings (9-8) to a win over the Indiana Pacers (6-10).  Evans had 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists as the Kings won their fourth straight.  The Kings shot 51% from the field and were very good from three point land, going 9-18 (50%) as a team.  Andres Nocioni went 3-5 from three and finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.  The Kings did not do a very good job rebounding though, as the Pacers beat them on the glass 49-39.  The Kings did give up 33 points to Pacers’ wing Danny Granger, but it was a solid defensive effort overall.