Patrick Patterson struggled with his shot, going just 4-13 from the field, along with 5 turnovers, but he did a good job on the glass (8 rebounds) and on the defensive end. While Jason Thompson was more efficient (9 points on 4-6 shooting), Patterson still showed enough to merit continued time as the starting Power Forward.
Luc Mbah a Moute made his first appearance as a King since the last time Sacramento played the Warriors, playing 7 relatively unremarkable minutes in the 4th quarter. John Salmons had by far his best night of the preseason, especially offensively. He and Thomas scored the majority of Sacramento's 4th quarter points. Salmons' game winning three came after both Thomas and McLemore missed attempts of their own. Fortunately the Kings were able to corral the rebounds both times and good ball movement found Salmons wide open at the top of the arc.
With just one preseason game remaining, the rotation will begin to tighten. I expect that the starting five we see on Friday will end up being the starting five to start the regular season. If it were up to me, my current starting five would be Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins. I think that's the best balance of offense, defense, and consistency that Sacramento can put together right now.
0 Comments
Badge Legend