Game Preview: Warriors v Kings

The Sacramento Kings make the short in-state trip to do battle with the Golden
State Warriors at Oracle Arena on Wednesday evening. The Kings (24-32) come in
to Wednesday’s game on a solid four-game winning streak, and with five
victories in the last six games overall. Sacramento edged the Los Angeles Lakers
on Tuesday night by a 97-96 score, with DeMarcus Cousins sinking the
game-winning free throw with nine seconds remaining. Boogie led the way with a
massive 40-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included eight assists, two
steals and one block. Darren Collison was next with 13 points, eight assists and
five rebounds. Ben McLemore matched Collison’s scoring total and added three
boards. Arron Afflalo chipped in with 10 points, three boards, one assist and
one steal. Willie Cauley-Stein led the bench with eight points, three rebounds,
three steals and one block. On the injury front, Omri Casspi (foot) has already
been ruled out for Wednesday’s game, while Ty Lawson (leg) is likely to be
listed as questionable after having missed the last three contests. Garrett
Temple (hamstring) remains out until after the All-Star break. The Warriors
(43-8) had rattled off eight victories in nine games coming in to Monday
night’s road tilt against the Nuggets before getting a rude 132-110 awakening,
a game in which Denver tied an NBA record with 24 three-pointers. Kevin Durant
led the way with 25 points, five assists, four rebounds, one steal and one
block. Patrick McCaw was impressive in a spot start for Klay Thompson (heel),
posting 19 points, two assists and one rebound. Ian Clark got extra run as well
in Thompson’s absence with a bench-leading 18 points, one rebound, one assist
and two steals. Andre Iguodala generated 15 points, two assists, one rebound and
two steals. Stephen Curry tallied just 11 points, five assists, two rebounds and
one steal while going just 4-of-18 from the field and 1-of-11 from three-point
range. Golden State will come into Wednesday’s tilt with a host of injuries.
Zaza Pachulia (shoulder) is out until after the All-Star break, while Shaun
Livingston (personal), David West (thumb) and Thompson (heel) will all most
likely be listed as questionable. Wednesday’s game will mark the third of four
meetings between the teams this season. The Warriors drew first blood by
prevailing 117-106 in Sacramento back on Jan. 8, while the Kings drew a measure
of revenge with a rather surprising 109-106 overtime win on Feb. 5.