Although the Kings looked sluggish in their first tune-up appearance, first-year head coach Doug Christie had some interesting comments on how his team approaches each game: Two battles. The game and the fight that his team shows. Against Toronto, Sacramento lost both.
The Athletic‘s Sam Amick joined The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross on Thursday to share his thoughts on Christie’s thought process, contemplate if the preseason-opener is a sign of things to come or just a speed bump, and much more.
Following a 175-day hiatus, Sacramento Kings basketball returned to Golden 1 Center on Wednesday night.
Fans in attendance got their first look at a new-look Kings team that featured newly-signed point guard Dennis Schroder, rookie wing Nique Clifford (24th pick in June’s NBA Draft), and big man Maxime Raynaud (42nd pick in the NBA Draft) against the Toronto Raptors in the first of four preseason tune-up games.
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Exhibition games are always a mixed bag–sporadic rotations, limited minutes, and in this case, no broadcast on local or national TV. Sure, the game was broadcast on Sactown Sports 1140 AM and Kings.com, but, like most preseason games, this one felt like a dress rehearsal for the real thing, which is a good thing from Sacramento’s perspective.
As was the case last season, the Kings struggled to contain the perimeter against Toronto, falling behind by double digits during the first half — a deficit that Sacramento never recovered from — before pulling its primary rotation players early in the second half.
Here are some thoughts and observations from the Kings’ 130-120 preseason-opening loss as we move closer to the season-opener on October 22nd.
Sacramento will continue its preseason slate of games on Friday night when it travels to the Moda Center for a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Be sure to catch all of the action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7 pm PT tip-off from Portland, Oregon.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Author Name: Franklin Cartoscelli
Bio: Franklin 'Frankie' Cartoscelli is Sactown Sports 1140's Lead Editor, Sacramento Kings beat writer and co-host of the Return of the Roar podcast.
Professional Background: Worked in professional sports… Read more
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