Preview: Warriors return home to face Kings before 2017 NBA All-Star break

What: Warriors vs. Kings

When: 7:30 p.m. PST

Where: Oracle Arena — Oakland, CA

TV: CSNBA | Radio: 95.7 The Game

Buddy blog: Sactown Royalty

The Golden State Warriors will play the Sacramento Kings tonight at 7:30 p.m. PST, possibly without the services of All-Star Klay Thompson.

Thankfully, they have three other All-Stars and are playing at home. So I’d prefer they just sit Thompson for this game and I can’t say I really care whether he plays in the All-Star Game.

In fact, I think it would be highly entertaining if Thompson didn’t play, Adam Silver selected LaMarcus Aldridge instead, and Steve Kerr is given the opportunity to respond to the following quote, as reported by Michael Lee of The Vertical:

I’m older, so I’m not going to come home and be mad or anything,” Aldridge, 31, told The Vertical. “But I do think that it was wrong for Golden State to have four [All-Stars] and we’re a few games behind and only have one. It is what it is. I’m in this position and I’m going to enjoy my break and just come back fresh.

I can just imagine Kerr coming back at him by saying, I didn’t really want him to stay fresh so I didn’t take him out.

So what does this have to do with a game against the Kings on the Wednesday night before the All-Star Game?

Not much, probably.

But that’s where we are at this point in the season: things like resting key players and seeing the bench perform well are far more important to me than whether the Warriors drop individual games. Yes, the San Antonio Spurs are sitting just four games behind the Warriors, but you have to have faith that this team will be fine heading into the playoffs.

In any event, the Kings are coming off a one-point win against the L.A. Lakers last night and will be playing their third game in four nights. With or without Thompson, the Warriors should fully expect to win this one.