Kings vs. Warriors gameday: Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga injuries; 3 things to watch
The Kings will try to stay unbeaten at home under interim coach Doug Christie when they face the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday at Golden 1 Center in a game that will be televised by ESPN.
The Kings are 9-2 overall and 6-0 at home with Christie at the helm after going 6-12 at Golden 1 Center to start the season. They haven’t lost at home since blowing a 19-point lead against the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 26, the night before former coach Mike Brown was fired.
The Kings (22-20) have jumped from 12th to eighth in the Western Conference playoff race, one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 6 seed. They are coming off a 123-100 victory over the Washington Wizards.
The Warriors (21-21) are tied with the Phoenix Suns for 10th in the West. They posted back-to-back wins over the Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves before suffering a 125-85 loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday. Golden State has a number of players out due to injuries, including Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green.
Here are three things to watch in Wednesday’s game.
Warriors’ injuries
The Warriors will be missing Green (left calf strain), Kuminga (right ankle sprain), Brandin Podziemski (right abdominal injury management) and Kyle Anderson (left gluteal bursitis).
Kuminga is tied for second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.8 points and 5.0 rebounds. Green averages 8.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.1 blocks.
Podziemski (8.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3.2 apg) and Anderson (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.3 apg) both play key roles off the bench.
Sabonis’ 3-point shooting
The Kings challenged All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis to make the 3-point shot a bigger part of his game this season. The results have been remarkable.
Sabonis is the official NBA leader in 3-point shooting at 48.4%. He is attempting 2.4 3-pointers per game, up from 1.1 attempts each of the past two seasons.
Sabonis has been red hot over his past 11 games, shooting 65.4% from long distance. He has made 17 of 26 from beyond the arc over that stretch.
Containing Curry
The Kings did their best to contain Steph Curry in a 129-99 victory over the Warriors on Jan. 5 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Curry scored 26 points on 8-of-12 shooting while going 4 of 8 from 3-point range, but the Kings did a nice job of limiting his shot attempts. They will likely try to do the same in this game.
Over the past eight games, Curry is averaging 25.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 47.9% from the field and 43.2% from 3-point range.
Warriors at Kings
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Golden 1 Center
TV: ESPN
Radio: Sactown Sports 1140
Odds: Kings -7.5
Over/under: 228.5
Injury report
Warriors: OUT — Kyle Anderson (bursitis); Draymond Green (calf); Jonathan Kuminga (ankle); Brandin Podziemski (abdomen).
Kings: OUT — Isaiah Crawford (G League); Colby Jones (G League); Isaac Jones (G League).
Upcoming schedule
Jan. 22 vs. Golden State Warriors
Jan. 23 at Denver Nuggets
Jan. 25 at New York Knicks
Jan. 27 at Brooklyn Nets
Jan. 29 at Philadelphia 76ers
