The Sacramento Kings will be trying to get their first home win of the season, but are coming up against a hot Golden State Warriors squad that opened their season by dispatching both of LA’s heavyweight teams. Can the Kings find a way past Steph Curry?
Catch this game live on October 25, at 9:00 AM, Manila time.
AWAY: Golden State Warriors (2-0, 1-0 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Steph Curry
- SG: Jordan Poole
- SF: Andrew Wiggins
- PF: Draymond Green
- C: Kevon Looney
Steph Curry is averaging 33.0 PPG in his first two games, or a point more than the average that he had last season when he took home the scoring title. He’s had hot and cold streaks in the first two games, but the maestro has found a way to be a difference maker at the end of both games. You can expect him to have another big game against the Kings, who have shown shaky defensive rotations in their first two contests, especially in the paint. Curry isn’t just a masterful shooter, he’s also among the game’s elite at snaking his way to the basket and his ability to finish at the basket with his crafty layups is likely to pay dividends.
Add that to the scoring threat that Jordan Poole possesses, plus Andrew Wiggins’ skills as a two-way player, the Warriors’ wings will be a difficult cover for the Kings. They only have one Davion Mitchell, and no one else on Sacramento’s roster has really shown the ability to be a lockdown defender this season. Add that to the unselfish style that the Warriors plays, and they should be looking at a lot of open jumpshots.
Draymond Green also showed a lot more aggression in the paint against the Clippers, and if he continues that against Sacramento, he could create a ton of problems. A career 71.4% free throw shooter, he’s struggled from the charity stripe so far this season, but he could come back to his average very quickly. He’s also starting to form a good connection with former Kings fan favorite Nemanja Bjelica, who adds another layer of playmaking and floor spacing to an already-dangerous Warriors squad.
Andre Iguodala, who hurt his hip against the Clippers, is listed as day-to-day. Even at the age of 37, he’s still a difference maker in small spurts, and if he doesn’t play, it could hurt the Warriors.
Home: Sacramento Kings (1-1, 0-1 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: De’Aaron Fox
- SG: Tyrese Haliburton
- SF: Terence Davis
- PF: Harrison Barnes
- C: Richaun Holmes
The Sacramento Kings had a good start to the season by beating the Portland Trail Blazers, and began their game strong against the Utah Jazz with a 52-46 halftime lead. They simply had no answer for the Jazz in the second half, though, as they got outscored 64-49 on the way to a 110-101 loss. Late game blunders and bad execution were the bane of the Kings, and this isn’t anything new for this squad.
Former Warrior Harrison Barnes is having quite a start to his season, as he’s averaging 30.5 PPG over his first two games, and against Utah he had 25 points and 15 rebounds. Star point guard De’Aaron Fox struggled against Utah, though, finished with 12 points on 5 of 19 shooting (0 of 5 from three), along with 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals.
Buddy Hield may have scored 24 points off the bench, but took 21 shots to get there. Richaun Holmes, who had an excellent game in their season opener with 21 points and 11 rebounds on 9 of 10 shooting, followed that up with 6 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 3 blocks before fouling out. With the Warrior’s playing a lot of small lineups, the Kings will need Holmes to be more involved on offense, especially with his patented push shot. If he doesn’t have a big game for the, it could spell big trouble for the visitors.
Rookie Davion Mitchell has become the darling of Kings fans because of his stellar defense, and he certainly made life difficult for Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard in his first two games, along with generally been a problem for anyone he defends. However, he’s still struggling to find his place in the Kings offense, going combined 2 of 14 from the field in his first two games.
He’s about to face the biggest test of his young career so far, though, as he’ll now have to guard Steph Curry. Curry is nigh-unstoppable at his best, so it will be fun to see how Mitchell fares against him.
PREDICTION:
Spread: The Kings shouldn’t be slept on for this game, and they have the ability to keep it close. I like them at +3.5.
Over/Under: Both squads will oblige each other in playing a fast-flowing game, and the over 231.5 is good value.
