NBA Preview from The Sports Network
Wednesday, December 19th
(All times Eastern)
Golden State Warriors (17-8) at Sacramento Kings (7-17), 10 p.m.
(Sports Network) - The Golden State Warriors will hit the road once again when
they pay a visit to the Sacramento Kings Wednesday night at Sleep Train Arena.
Golden State recently finished a season-long seven-game road trip against
Eastern Conference foes with a 6-1 mark. It was the first time in franchise
history Golden State has posted six wins on a road trip.
The Warriors returned to Oracle Arena Tuesday night to host the lowly New
Orleans Hornets and squeezed out a 103-96 win behind David Lee's 26 points,
nine rebounds and four assists. Klay Thompson added 19 points and Jarrett Jack
contributed a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists for Golden State.
"We had a lot of confidence tonight, a lot more confidence than in the past,"
said Lee. "It's no fun when a team's catching up on you like that, but I think
we had confidence we could make plays down the stretch."
Golden State improved to 14-0 this season when leading after three quarters
and scored 20 points off 15 New Orleans turnovers. They have won 10 of their
last 12 games and will put their 10-5 road record on the line Wednesday.
After visiting the Kings, Golden State, which is 10th in the NBA with 99.7
ppg, will head back to Oakland for consecutive matchups with the Charlotte
Bobcats and Los Angeles Lakers.
Defense has been an issue this season for the Kings and they will try to stop
a five-game slide versus the Pacific Division-rival Warriors.
Sacramento was last in action Monday in a 101-90 setback against the Phoenix
Suns in the desert. Jimmer Fredette poured in a career-high 22 points and
Aaron Brooks netted 12 for the Kings, who did not have Tyreke Evans (knee) or
Marcus Thornton (personal).
Evans is doubtful and Thornton is listed as probable versus the Warriors. The
Kings are 2-4 without Evans in the lineup and 0-4 sans Thornton this season.
"I thought this was a night to steal one on the road after a game last night.
I thought they did everything the right way up until things started to go
haywire in the second half," said Kings head coach Keith Smart.
Sacramento outrebounded the Suns, 51-38, but turned the ball over 18 times.
DeMarcus Cousins made just one of his 10 shots from the field and finished
with nine points and a team-high 10 rebounds in defeat.
The Kings, who own a 6-7 record as the host, will play their third game in
four days. They have been playing well despite the losses and are averaging
15.2 offensive rebounds per game in the last five games. Sacramento is fifth
in the NBA with 44.7 ppg in the paint.
Sacramento defeated Golden State, 94-92, in the first matchup of the season on
Nov. 5 at Sleep Train Arena. Cousins paced all scorers with 23 points and 15
rebounds for the Kings.
The Warriors have won three of the last five meetings with the Kings.
12/19 10:33:59 ET

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