The Sacramento Kings fell to the Golden State Warriors 122-112, but in a preseason game in which the Kings starters only played the first half, the key score to note was 68-66 in favor of the Kings at halftime.
The starters looked phenomenal on offense, with DeMar DeRozan leading the way with 15 points on perfect shooting from the field.
He and Sabonis immediately went to work in the dribble handoff (DHO) action, with DeRozan’s first bucket coming off a mid-range screen and handoff.
DeMar has all the spacing in the world in the middle of the floor, and the Warriors were quick to switch Kevon Looney on DeRozan. Every team will be different, but that opens up Sabonis for mismatches inside.
Sabonis finished the night contributing in a multitude of ways, as is usually the case for the three-time All-Star.
Malik Monk chipped in 13 points off the bench, De’Aaron Fox had 11, and Keegan Murray had 8. It was the well-rounded offense many saw coming and a great sight to see to start the preseason.
The not-so-great showing was on the defensive end. The Kings struggled guarding the three-point line as the Warriors finished 28-of-52 (53.8%) from beyond the arc.
Defending the three-point line was a major talking point for the Kings last season, as opponents shot 38.7 percent against Sacramento, second-highest in the league.
It’s just preseason, but it will be something to keep an eye on throughout the rest of the preseason and early in the regular season.
The other key stat coming into the game was the Kings offensive rebounds. Mike Brown has emphasized crashing the glass coming into the year. The Kings ended the night with eight offensive rebounds, just under their average of 10.8 from last season.
The Warriors were the fourth-best team in the league last year at limiting opponent’s offensive boards, so they are a hard opponent to draw in that regard. Like the three-point defense, another stat to keep a close eye on.
The Kings return to action on Friday at 7:00 pm PT in a rematch against the Warriors, this time meeting at the Chase Center.
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