Sacramento Kings

Kings’ game plan against Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers during an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 25, 2015, in Oakland, Calif.
Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) in action against the Cleveland Cavaliers during an NBA basketball game Friday, Dec. 25, 2015, in Oakland, Calif. AP

THE PARTICULARS

  • Where: Oracle Arena
  • When: Today, 7:30 p.m.
  • TV/radio: CSNCA, 950, 1140
  • Records: Kings 12-18, Warriors 28-1

THREE KEYS

  • 1. Cousins in control: The Kings have a major advantage with center DeMarcus Cousins, no matter who is defending him. Sacramento must find Cousins in the paint early and often and hope it leads to fouls and forces the Warriors to go deeper into their bench.
  • 2. Ball security: The Kings can be sloppy with the ball, and that can be crippling against the Warriors, who thrive off turnovers. Golden State is an elite offensive team, so the Kings cannot help the Warriors by giving them easy looks off mistakes.
  • 3. Be ready for the run: The Warriors can put together a big run like no other team. They shoot three-pointers so efficiently that a 15-0 run can happen quickly. The Kings need to control the tempo as best they can to prevent a close game from becoming a blowout in a flash.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Kings

No.

Player

Pos.

9

Rajon Rondo

PG

23

Ben McLemore

SG

18

Omri Casspi

SF

8

Rudy Gay

PF

15

DeMarcus Cousins

C

Warriors

No.

Player

Pos.

30

Stephen Curry

PG

11

Klay Thompson

SG

4

Brandon Rush

SF

23

Draymond Green

PF

12

Andrew Bogut

C

Jason Jones

This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Kings’ game plan against Golden State Warriors."

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