Jan 19, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA Sacramento Kings power forward Chuck Hayes (42) goes up for a shot against the Charlotte Bobcats during the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

There have been few times this season where the Charlotte Bobcats have executed well in the last seconds of a game. Saturday night’s home game against the Sacramento Kings was no different.

The Kings beat the Bobcats 97-93 in a game between two evenly matched teams. The Bobcats were down by three with 18 seconds left, but Kemba Walker missed a three-point shot to tie the game. The Kings were able to put the game away with one free throw from Isaiah Thomas.

DeMarcus Cousins, who’s been at the center of trade rumors this season, had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Cousins showed his full display of talent tonight, and likely furthered the stance of many Bobcats fans who wish to see him play in Charlotte for 82 games, instead of one.

Sacramento was led by 18 points from Marcus Thornton off the bench. Tyreke Evans chipped in 16. The Kings backcourt was just as good as the Bobcats backcourt tonight. While the Kings haven’t been very good, they certainly have some talent on their team, though many question how well they’re used.

The Bobcats got double digit scoring nights from all four of their guards. Ramon Sessions had 16, Kemba Walker had 14 points and ten assists.

In the frontcourt, Hakim Warrick had 12 points, and Brendan Haywood and Jeff Adrien both had nine off the bench. Bismack Biyombo went scoreless in 19 minutes. None of their performances were uncharacteristic, which is what I wrote in the preview that the team needed to have the best shot at winning. Surprisingly enough though they didn’t need a balanced attack to win.

Games like these are some of the most winnable games the Bobcats will get all season.

While the team hasn’t been any good at home this season, they just didn’t get the job done when it came to executing in the last seconds of the game. Whether that’s a coaching problem or playing problem is up for the fans to judge. Personally I’d like to see better plays being drawn up in the 4th, and don’t think we’ve had a lot of good calls in the clutch. I’d also like to see better time management from Dunlap.

Dunlap’s done his fair share of experimenting this season, which is expected considering he’s an experiment as a head coach. Nobody expected the Bobcats to be playoff contenders this season, but when you watch games you want to see growth as a head coach from Dunlap and progress and development made by the players.

Have we seen a lot of the former? It’s certainly fair to question whether Mike Dunlap is the guy for this team in the long-term, as much as it is to question whether any of the players here are right for the long haul as well.

Tonight was another heartbreaker, which many fans have grown accustomed to over the past couple of seasons. This young team just lacks the veteran experience on the court and at coaching right now to consistently pick up wins in the clutch.

Jan 18, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins warms up prior tot he game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

The DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors have been quiet as of late. The future of the Sacramento Kings is a more prevalent topic right now, as the team could be moving to Seattle next season.

With a storm of uncertainty surrounding the Kings players and organization, they’ll face a team in the Charlotte Bobcats who doesn’t have much stability either.

The Bobcats stopped a five-game skid last night with a win over the Orlando Magic. Kemba Walker led Bobcats scorers with 25, while Gerald Henderson had 18.

With the victory, the Bobcats became the 29th team in the league to reach 10 wins, leaving the Washington Wizards as the only team with less than 10 this season.

The same troubles that plagued the Bobcats during their losing streak last year, are still alive now. The team still ranks as one of the worst defensive and rebounding teams in the league, while not being able to score or move the ball extremely well.

The Kings share similar problems, but on bad nights they look to their starting center to bail them out.

In his last 10 games, Cousins is averaging 22pts, 13rebs, and just under four assists. Despite rampant questions about his character and personality, Cousins continues to put up big numbers at a premium position in the  NBA. A position the Bobcats lack in talent, and would love to add a player like Cousins to stabilize it.

Cousins has been at the heart of trade rumors for most of the season, and the Bobcats have been a team listed as a realistic destination. With Cousins recent play, it might make the Kings less likely to deal the Kentucky center. If the Kings do move to Seattle, then new ownership could want a player like him to help market to fans. Tonight, Cousins will have a chance to put up big numbers against one of the weakest frontcourts in the league, which could spell trouble for the Bobcats.

When the Bobcats played the Utah Jazz earlier this month, the Bobcats frontcourt didn’t bother showing up to the game. Starters Bismack Biyombo and Tyrus Thomas combined for zero points in over 30 minutes of play. A performance like that tonight will not help matters against the Kings, who are much bigger and talented up front with Cousins and Jason Thompson.

The Bobcats perimeter scoring is always going to be there, but I’m really hoping for an uncharacteristic game out of the frontcourt tonight. A great defensive performance out of Biyombo, a good game from Warrick, just something that will challenge the Kings bigs, and give the Bobcats a more balanced effort.