Opening Night Preview: Kings Hope To Turn The Page vs Blazers

The day has finally come. No more preseason or training camp tune-ups. No more theorizing about who will and will not be in the opening night rotation. It all starts tonight for the Sacramento Kings.

This afternoon at Golden 1 Center, the Kings will face off against Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers to begin an important season of basketball in the 916. After an offseason full of changes that included the implementation of a new coaching staff and a roster overhaul, Sacramento will roll the ball out on Wednesday and see what they have in the tank.

The preseason went as well as it possibly could have for the Kings as they posted a perfect 4-0 record while outscoring their opponents by an average of 27.5 points per contest. One of those matchups included a 126-94 win over the Blazers back on October 9th.

Things will be played a little differently tonight as both teams will deploy their core rotation pieces for the entirety of the game, meaning that the Kings defense will need to keep Lillard in check if they want to start the season on a winning note. Can new head coach Mike Brown’s defense contain the six-time All-Star?

We’re about to find out.

Here’s everything that you need to know for tonight’s season-opening matchup between the Kings and Trail Blazers:

Where To Watch & Listen To Kings vs Blazers

When: 7:00 PM PST

Where: Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA

TV: NBC Sports California

Radio: Sactown Sports 1140 AM – Pregame coverage starts at 5:30 pm PST on Game Night

Tickets: Click here to check if tickets are still available

What To Watch For

Defense, Defense, and More Defense

During Sacramento’s 4-0 run in the preseason, they led the NBA in opponent points per game by holding its opponents to just 89.8 points per contest.

While it isn’t expected that the Kings defense will hold teams to less than 90 points each night, keep an eye on how Sacramento adjusts to Portland’s runs during Wednesday’s game. Previous Kings teams would fall flat and allow opponents to string together huge, game-altering runs–usually during the third quarter after adjustments had been made–that ended up acting as a turning point.

Can Brown and his defensive-minded staff plug those holes like they did during preseason play?

The Sacramento Kings finished the preseason having held their opponents to just 89.8 points per game, an average that ranked 1st in the NBA.

In 2nd place, the Oklahoma City Thunder allowed 100.8 points per game.

It’s four preseason games, but the Mike Brown effect is evident.

— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) October 15, 2022

In recent years, the Kings have had a knack for playing the game of ‘let’s see which opposing guard will have a career-high against us tonight’.

Containing high-scoring guards like Lillard and Anfernee Simons from game number one would give many viewers some peace of mind as Sacramento’s days of allowing guards to post massive stat-lines on a gamely basis will begin to cease under Brown’s tutelage.

Three-point Shooting

Although the Kings will be without Keegan Murray during the opener, expect the offense to let a lot of three-point field goal attempts fly against Portland.

Mike Brown expects his team to attempt near 40 three-point field goals per game, and with players like Harrison Barnes, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, and Terence Davis in the fold for the bulk of rotation minutes, that’s a number that very well could be reached on Wednesday night.

If De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell can start chipping in with a few three-point field goals of their own, this offense could become a legit perimeter threat on a nightly basis.

Fun

This one is pretty simple. Watch for the Sacramento Kings to have some fun during tonight’s season opener.

During the 16-year postseason drought, solid chemistry has been sorely lacking as team after team–with the 2018-19 team being the lone exception–has trudged through the regular season with a dark, gloomy cloud seemingly hanging over each player wearing a Kings uniform.

That hasn’t been the case during preseason, training camp, or even during Summer League with this current team.

From the moment that Brown and his staff have shown up, the constant vibe around the Kings has been upbeat, warm, and welcoming. The players have bought in, something that hasn’t been the case for awhile now. Basketball is supposed to be fun, but as we all know, not a lot of fun has been had in Sacramento since 2006.

It’s time to turn that page and do the impossible–enjoy watching fun, competitive Kings basketball.

Sacramento Kings Injury Updates

• Kevin Huerter – QUESTIONABLE (Left ankle soreness)

Kings head coach Mike Brown told the media on Tuesday that the 24-year-old fully participated in the full-contact portion of practice and added that “he should be fine” to make his Kings debut on Wednesday.

• Keegan Murray – OUT (Health & Safety protocols)

Murray has cleared health and safety protocols, but will not play during Wednesday’s game against Portland.

Kings head coach Mike Brown told reporters this week that the rookie will need to log a full practice before being cleared to play.

Upcoming Sacramento Kings Schedule

Wednesday, October 19th – Sacramento Kings vs Portland Trail Blazers – 7:00 PM PST (Season opener)

Saturday, October 22nd – Sacramento Kings vs Los Angeles Clippers – 7:00 PM PST

Sunday, October 23rd – Sacramento Kings @ Golden State Warriors – 5:30 PM PST

Thursday, October 27th – Sacramento Kings vs Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 PM PST

Saturday, October 29th – Sacramento Kings vs Miami Heat – 7:00 PM PST

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