The 26-year-old Israeli led his team to victory over the Lakers in Sacramento’s final home game of the season on Monday.
By ALLON SINAIIsraeli NBA star Omri Casspi(photo credit: REUTERS)
Omri Casspi will look to cap his superb finish to the NBA regular season with another strong performance when the Sacramento Kings close their 2014/15 campaign against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.The 26-year-old Israeli led his team to victory over the Lakers in Sacramento’s final home game of the season on Monday, finishing the 102-92 win with 26 points, nine rebounds and six assists.Over the past five games, Casspi has averaged 22.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists. He has made the most of the absence of the team’s stars DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay and hasn’t hidden his desire to receive a contract extension from the Kings, with his current deal running out at the end of the season.“I love it here. I want to continue and my agent knows that,” Casspi said after the game.Casspi has been especially impressive from three-point range, shooting 46.7 percent from beyond the arc since the All-Star break, a vast improvement on the 22.7 percent he was shooting beforehand.“I’m happy for [Casspi] because I think he was struggling when I came here,” said Kings coach George Karl. “He understands what we’re trying to do a little better than some other guys. His ability to get to the rim has been pretty impressive and I’d like to see him have more games with six assists, like tonight.“I think he’s a flow guy, and we’re trying to play faster so he gets in the flow more often,” Karl added. “I think he’s comfortable with the simple decisions, and he’s a good runner of the court.”