Kings vs. Warriors Preview: Kick them while they’re down

The Kings and Warriors enter tonight’s matchup in the midst of turning points for both franchises.  The Kings have won 9 of 11 under new head coach Doug Christie, appearing rejuvenated after a woeful start to the season.  Meanwhile the Warriors have gone 9-18 since a 12-3 start and are fresh off their worst home loss since 1985.  These two franchises are currently going in opposite directions but if there’s anything we’ve learned from the past few seasons, it’s that Kings-Warriors games tend to get crazy no matter what.  Hopefully the Kings can keep their momentum going as they head into one of the toughest road trips of the season.

Let’s talk Kings basketball!

When: Wednesday, January 22nd, 7:00 PM PST
Where: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, CA
TV: ESPN, NBC Sports California
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM

For Your Consideration

The Warriors are in disarray right now, having just lost by 40 at home to the Celtics on Monday.  They’re banged up as well, and will be entering tonight’s matchup in Sacramento without the services of Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Kyle Anderson or Brandon Podziemski.  That makes the Warriors smaller than even the Kings.  However, it doesn’t mean the Warriors aren’t dangerous.  This is a team with the best shooter of all time after all.  We’ve seen Steph Curry drop 50 in this very arena before, and if the Kings aren’t aggressive in limiting his opportunities, Curry is more than capable of carrying the Warriors to victory by himself.  The Kings know that better than almost anyone given how frequently they’ve played this Warriors team over the last three years, and I expect Coach Christie’s gameplan will be focused on keeping the ball out of Curry’s hands and making other Warriors players beat us.

In Sacramento’s first matchup against the Warriors this season, the Kings dominated from the tip and never let up.  The end result was a 129-99 Kings victory in San Francisco, and the Kings did that without the services of De’Aaron Fox, who will be playing tonight.  Malik Monk led the way for the Kings with 26 points and 12 assists, and Domantas Sabonis added 22 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists.  Steph Curry had a decent game with 26 points, but got little help besides that.  The Kings managed to outshoot the Warriors from distance, making 19 of 43 threes compared to just 12 of 35 for Golden State.  That’s been a trend for the Warriors all season, as they’ve gone just 4-9 when making 12 or fewer threes, but 12-6 if they hit at least 15.  Keeping the Warriors off the three point line is going to be important, especially with the small ball they are likely to play tonight.

Golden State’s lack of size also means the Kings should feature Domantas Sabonis heavily.  In their last matchup, Sabonis thoroughly outplayed Trayce Jackson-Davis, shooting 10-13 from the field while Jackson-Davis only took 3 shots and missed all of them, while grabbing just 2 rebounds in almost 18 minutes of action.  Kevon Looney fared a bit better, but this isn’t the same Domantas Sabonis that the Warriors exploited in the playoffs a couple of years ago.  If you leave Domantas Sabonis wide open now, he is going to punish you.  Sabonis is currently leading the league in 3P% at a ridiculous 48.4% on 2.4 attempts a game.

For the Kings, this is a very important game as it’s the last home game they’ll play this month, with only two more home games remaining until the All-Star break.  The Kings have won their last six home games in a row, and are back up to .500 at home with a 12-12 record.  Given how tight the NBA standings currently are, each game is incredibly important, especially against opponents like the Warriors that are right there with the Kings.  A loss tonight could see the Kings drop from 8th to 11th, while a win could put the Kings up to 7th if the Mavericks also lose.  It would also give you a heads up on potential tie breakers with the Warriors if the Kings are able to secure the first two games of the season series.  As De’Aaron Fox said after yesterday’s practice, Sacramento’s mentality has to be to “kick them while they’re down”.

Prediction

Domantas Sabonis makes it his personal mission to dunk as often as possible on this Warriors team, and puts together a career-night as the Kings complete a perfect homestand.

Kings 124, Warriors 111