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Tip-off: 7:00 pm PDT
Where: Sleep Train Arena
TV: CSN Bay Area / Radio: KNBR 680
Blog Buddy Sactown Royalty
Q&A with Tom Ziller of Sactown Royalty
Not so the Kings. With the Laker win last night, Sacramento finds itself in the same position as the end of last season: last in the Pacific Division. Down three games before opening at home tonight, they've already started digging a hole.
Both the Warriors and Kings are among the five heaviest fouling teams right now (not surprisingly, so are the Clippers). Even during the preseason, our win up north was foul heavy.
This game, with the added pressure of winning at home for the Kings, is likely to be no different. Our advantage here is that the Kings have the worst foul differential in the league, while we're in the middle of the pack. The Dubs are out-rebounding our opponents and the Kings are giving up far more boards than they collect. Look for a physical game.
In the above graphic, green is top 10, yellow is middle 10, and red is the bottom of the league. As long as the Warriors play their game, the win should come to Golden State.
Key matchups include Tyreke Evans (off to a decent start) against Klay Thompson, and DeMarcus Cousins against the world Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli. Cousins has been struggling, and unless he breaks out at home, the Kings will have major trouble in the post.
Predictions
- Harrison Barnes scores 15 but is out-rebounded by James Johnson.
- David Lee gets his shot back - Cousins doesn't.
- Two double-doubles for the Warriors front line.
- Warriors get Smart, and win 99-86.