CK Press Box Report – Golden State Warriors 98, Sacramento Kings 88

Quotes of the Game

Head Coach Keith Smart‘s opening statement:

It wasn’t a great day at the office, but it was a great second half that we played.  We didn’t play for one half of the game, and sometimes that happens in preseason.  You still try to do things with your team.  I thought they came out in the second half, in the third quarter, and played how we play.  There were mistakes – 23 turnovers aren’t going to help you a lot.  I thought that in the second half we got back to how we were.  That happens.  This team is still a team that’s trying to grow.  This is probably the first time in a half of basketball, between training camp and the last two games, where we didn’t look like a team.

Jason Thompson on Sacramento’s turnovers:

I think when the season starts you’re going to have a starting lineup and you’re going to have a rotation and stuff like that.  For every game now, we’ve had different lineups, different rotations – so we’re all just trying to get used to each other.  Some of us are familiar faces and we have some new additions, so we’re all just trying to pick and choose our spots and know what guys’ strengths and weaknesses are.  So for the most part, obviously we didn’t come out with the right energy, but it was good to see in the second half that a game could’ve been out of hand.  We didn’t play our best game, but still had the chance to win.

Notes and Analysis

• Tonight, Keith Smart started the same five from Monday’s game versus the Portland Trail Blazers:  Aaron Brooks, Tyreke Evans, Travis Outlaw, Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins.  Smart said he went with that same five to collect more data on Brooks and Outlaw.

• After playing off the bench in the Kings’ first preseason game, John Salmons has been missing in action.  The veteran swingman has missed the last two games due to personal reasons according to the team.

• Foul trouble reared its ugly head for the Kings, particularly in the first half.  Sacramento committed 13 of their 23 personals before intermission.  With constant stoppages in the game, the Kings were clearly knocked out of their rhythm offensively.

• They didn’t combine for a great night, but I can see why the Thompson-Cousins combination works in Smart’s favor.  JT looks more comfortable playing on the block and with his back to the basket while Cousins is at his best from the elbows.  Perhaps this is a reason why coach Smart has given the greenlight for Cousins to attempt a few threes here in the exhibition season.

• Among the Kings’ struggles tonight was their three-point shooting.  Sacramento made just three of 21 3-point attempts for a lowly 14.3 percent from beyond the arc.

• Stat of the Night:  Of the Kings’ 23 turnovers, 13 of them were committed in the first half.

Additional reaction – At the buzzer: Golden State Warriors 98, Sacramento Kings 88