Inside the Scope: Golden State Warriors x Sacramento Kings

Game Info

• Tip Off: 3:00 PM PST
• Television: CSNBayHD

Scope the Opposition: Cowbell Kingdom.

Preview: The Golden State Warriors (9-8) have lost back-to-back games to prospective playoff opponents and as a result, they are hovering around mediocrity based solely on their record.

If we go back a little further, we will notice that the Dubs have only won one of their last six games. The competition has been rather stiff and also, several of these contests have occurred on the road.

The Warriors are in the midst of a four-game trip away from home that concludes tonight at the house of the Sacramento Kings. (4-10). The divisional rivals are a work in progress as evidenced by their record.

They have lost three straight games and also faced a five-game losing streak earlier in the campaign. Sacramento has played with good discipline this year when we compare them to the squad from last season, but they need more complementary parts on the roster.

For instance, DeMarcus Cousins has demonstrated a greater sense of urgency on defense and his teammates have followed suit. However, the team is devoid of good defenders and as a result, they are at times late on rotations (for the record, there were times in 2012-13 where there simply weren’t any rotations at all by the Kings, ah the good old days).

Thus, the Kings frontline hacks people a whole lot. They have four players that commit over four fouls per 36 minutes. In addition, these same slow rotations leave the perimeter open and allow the opposition to convert treys at a high rate. This is where the Warriors can do some damage.

David Lee has been in somewhat of a funk as of late and can certainly use a few easy looks around the basket area. Also, the Dubs’ proficiency from 3-point range is certainly going to come into question in this head-to-head matchup given Sacramento’s deficiencies on this front.