Preview: Kings continue preseason with another matchup vs. Warriors

The Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors can’t get enough of each other. Or, at least, it feels that way.

Just 48 hours removed from their preseason meeting at Golden 1 Center, the Kings and Warriors will cross paths once again on Friday night for another tune-up game at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

A sellout crowd was on hand for Wednesday’s preseason opener as six-time All-Star forward DeMar DeRozan made his highly-anticipated–yet unofficial–Kings debut, and did so in style by scoring 15 points on six-of-six shooting from the field over 15 minutes of action.

DeRozan and the rest of the Sacramento starters should see the floor for a tad longer than they did in their first meeting with the Warriors, while Stephen Curry and the rest of Golden State’s regulars could also see a bump in playing time on Friday as we inch closer to the start of the regular season.

DeMar in his Sacramento Debut:

👑 15 PTS
👑 6-6 FG
👑 2-2 FT pic.twitter.com/Etm3NZwcrG

— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) October 10, 2024

Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors Game Info

When: 7:00 PM PST

Where: Chase Center  – San Francisco, CA

TV: NBA TV

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Coverage starts at 2:00 PM PDT on The Drive Guys

Line: Kings -1.5, O/U 223.5

Be sure to tune in right here on Sactown Sports 1140 for all of your Kings vs. Warriors coverage, beginning at 2:00 PM PST on The Drive Guys before a 7:00 PM PST tip-off from downtown San Francisco.

Will The Starters Play?

Sacramento head coach Mike Brown pulled his starting group of De’Aaron Fox, Keon Ellis, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray, and Domantas Sabonis at the halftime break during Wednesday’s preseason opener. On Friday, starters will see the floor more–but not much more.

Brown told the media that his starting group will play into the third quarter, likely meaning that we’ll see the first five take the floor for the first stretch of play to open up the second half before the bench is deployed midway through the period.

At this point in the preseason, it’s all about ramping things up in a calculated manner. With another preseason matchup set to tip off on Sunday afternoon in Sacramento, Brown will be protective of his core rotation pieces with less than two weeks to go until opening night.

What To Watch For In The Second Half

Once the starters get their run in during the first half, Brown will turn to his bench for the rest of the way. These minutes will add to the coaching staff’s evaluation process in determining the 15th and final roster spot that is currently being determined in training camp.

Undrafted guard Boogie Ellis, veteran forward Terry Taylor, and guard Brodiric Thomas are in the mix for the final roster spot.

Ellis, a volume-scoring guard, poured in 10 points over 16 minutes of playing time on Wednesday. Thomas (three points over eight minutes) and Taylor (two assists and one steal over nine minutes) had far quieter nights in their first shot at preseason minutes.

Aside from the battle for the 15th and final roster spot, keep an eye on the Kings’ three-point defense on Friday night. Sacramento allowed the Warriors to shoot 28-of-52 (54%) from downtown on Wednesday, which would have been a franchise record for made triples in a single game for Golden State if it were a regular season game.

Brown was critical of the three-point defense during his postgame press conference and following Thursday’s practice. Let’s see if Sacramento can keep the Warriors in check on that front this time around.

Injury Report

While most of the Kings’ key pieces will be in uniform on Wednesday, they will be without some notable players against Golden State.

Kevin Huerter is still recovering from a dislocated left shoulder shoulder and torn labrum that resulted in the sharpshooting guard having surgery in March. ‘Red Velvet’ still hasn’t been cleared for full contact practice, meaning we will likely have to wait another week or longer to see him in preseason action. Huerter is set to be re-evaluated by the medical staff in the coming days.

Rookie guard Devin Carter is also in the process of recovering from left shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Carter has been seen working with the training staff, but is unlikely to return to game action until January at the earliest.

Jordan McLaughlin, who was signed this summer to fill in behind De’Aaron Fox at the point guard position, is rehabbing a grade-two right ankle sprain, but is close to returning to action. The Kings will re-evaluate McLaughlin this weekend.

Trey Lyles suffered a left groin strain during offseason workouts and will be re-evaluated in one week.

Orlando Robinson, who was signed as a depth option behind Domantas Sabonis and Alex Len at the center spot, will be re-evaluated in four weeks after suffering a left knee MCL sprain during training camp.

Sacramento Kings 2024-25 Schedule

Preseason

• Friday, October 11th – @ Golden State Warriors – 7 pm PDT
• Sunday, October 13th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 3 pm PDT
• Tuesday, October 15th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
• Thursday, October 17th – @ Los Angeles Clippers – 7 pm PDT

Regular Season

• Thursday, October 24th – vs. Minnesota Timberwolves – 7 pm PDT
• Saturday, October 26th – @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7:30 pm PDT
• Monday, October 28th – vs. Portland Trail Blazers – 7 pm PDT
• Tuesday, October 29th – @ Utah Jazz – 6 pm PDT
• Friday, November 1st – @ Atlanta Hawks – 4 pm PDT

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