Gametime: 7:00 pm PST
Broadcast Information: 1140 The Fan, no television
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Sacramento Kings Probable Starters (1-0)
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Marcus Thornton
SF: Tyreke Evans
PF: Jason Thompson
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Portland Trail Blazers Probable Starters (1-1)
PG: Damian Lillard
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Nicolas Batum
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
C: Meyers Leonard
Three questions to ponder
1. Does Keith Smart start the same five players?
For game No.1, coach Smart did the unexpected – he started the same five that finished the 2011-12 season. The Kings responded by beating up the Phoenix Suns without big games from four of the starters. There is no question that Tyreke Evans would like to move back into the backcourt and it will be interesting to see if Smart does so in preseason game No. 2. If he does, then who starts at small forward?
2. Who will be the first point guard off the bench?
In the first game, it was Jimmer Fredette, not Aaron Brooks, who came into the game early. Jimmer looked good running the team, but his shooting touch was off. He finished with 10 points, four assists and four rebounds in 21 minutes of action. Brooks chipped in four points in seven minutes.
3. Will Damian Lillard leave the Kings wondering “what if?”
The Kings passed on Lillard with the fifth pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, leaving him on the board for the Blazers at No. 6. The high-scoring guard out of Weber State dropped 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds in his first preseason game against the Lakers, then followed up with a 15-point, five-assist performance in Friday’s loss to the Suns. Hours before the draft, sources within the franchise had indicated the Kings were taking Lillard before Thomas Robinson’s surprising slide to five.
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