Now that Summer League has wrapped up, there won’t be any basketball for a few months, but now we know exactly when they’ll return to action as the Kings have announced their full 2026-27 preseason schedule.
The Kings play five preseason games in total, including two at Golden 1 Center. 4 of the games will be broadcast on Kings+, the Kings new free streaming platform on their website, while the October 10th matchup against the Golden State Warriors will be broadcast on NBC Sports California. Here’s the complete schedule (All times Pacific):
- October 5th vs. LA Lakers at 7:00 PM
- October 8th at LA Lakers at 7:30 PM
- October 10th at Golden State Warriors at 5:30 PM
- October 13th vs. Portland Trail Blazers at 7:00 PM
- October 16th at San Antonio Spurs at 7:00 PM
In addition, the Kings have also announced their broadcast team for the season with Mark Jones returning as a full time play-by-play announcer and Kayte Christensen as game analyst. Deuce Mason and Morgan Ragan will host the team’s pre and post game coverage for NBC Sports California.
70% of broadcast will be muted . Thanks for the info this fan needs to know .
I will die on the hill that fish grease is worse than Kayte. His catch phrases are cringe-inducing. I do agree mute is the best option. Have they made an AI Jerry Reynolds commentary I can subscribe to?
Jones is horrible. Completely useless. And Kayte stinks. She’s patronizing.
Together they make up the worst announcing crew in the NBA. So they should fit in just fine with the Sacramento Kings.
Trying to be the worst at everything….,, your Sacramento Kings
Jones and Kayte are unbearable. The Kangz refuse to read the room.
I’ve repeatedly offered my services, but Vivek refuses to accept my offer.
Welcome to
basketballtalking-over-game-action hell.I suppose this is one of those let me google that for you (despite the fact I use the duck now) but when you say Mark Jones is the full time play by play, doesn’t he need a backup for his national commitments? With Draper moving on, would Deuce or Morgan take on the duties?
Pretty cool the games are on Kings +. I’m curious if that will include us out of towners, but either way, it’s nice to get some clarity on preseason games given they haven’t tended toward broadcasting them in the past.
Mark Jones is no longer with ESPN. He is now in basketball hell full time.
He puts King’s fans in basketball hell everytime he speaks with his idiotic catch phrases.
A nice short piece on The Athletic on Acuff.
This dude is going to be Him.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7450669/2026/07/20/kings-darius-acuff-jr-nba-summer-league/
I have and do still like acuffs potential, but I’m also incredibly irritated that these morons refused to tank. Having one of those top four players could have actually had a massive impact on this organization.
Acuff- not nearly as shore as I would have been with top 4.
Dont tank when it’s last year you can. Hire an ameture rah rah coach. Bring in a recycled GM and likely take away his power after a year. Somehow make the announcing team worse (by have Jones full).
Keep Levine around- just to make sure the young guys can’t develop and to have someone to sit with Vivek to support his dillusions………. Yoooour Sacramento Langz
The top 4 picks are absolute studs, and I still believe as I said pre-draft that Caleb will be the best of the lot. That’s pick number 4. But what’s done is done. I think Acuff can be a Dame lite, and I’ll take that.
Agree on Caleb
I’m trying to get excited by Acuff but I have to keep reminding myself we are talking about a #7 pick.
Should any team peg their future on a #7 pick in any draft prior to starting the season? If Acuff is really HIM, that would potentially make this the deepest draft in the history of the NBA because many of the dudes taken before him already look far superior. Also, if he really is a cornerstone type guy, why was he there at #7?
This isn’t the same kind of storyline of Hali being there at #12 and becoming the dude you build around. No one had him at that expectation after the draft.
I’m just really trying to temper my expectations at this point, otherwise I feel we may face crushing disappointment of unrealistic expectations from a #7 pick.
The type of player we’re hoping he can become weren’t high picks either. Dame (6) and Brunson was a 2nd rounder.
Because this was an historically loaded draft. This draft may produce six or seven legit above all star caliber players.
As you mentioned Hali went 12 and a handful of years later almost won a title.
I know we’re nowhere near playoffs, let alone contention, but landing a superstar can change that outlook fast. I’m just being optimistic that Acuff will be a star, the bigger question is even if he is, can this FO/owner build around him, which we know is likely a no.
My point is I feel it’s far too early to call this a generational draft. No one was hyping Dame the summer before he played.
There wasn’t this much hype for Fox at 5, Bagley at 2, or Keegan at 4. I’m just warning of a possible deflation of expectations.
We so badly want the next cornerstone player in the mold of Dame or Brunson that we run the danger of permanently affixing some purple colored glasses when viewing Acuff.
I’d be happier if they bought some players to help him develop and not have the entire pressure to turning the dumpster fire that is this franchise rest on him. Sign a vet PG to mentor and play when Acuff will struggle
That’s a good point. There really is no mentor on the roster for the young players, specifically for Acuff. I suppose they could bring Russ back to fill that role. No knock on Lavine, Monk and Sabonis, but they don’t seem like the mentor types.
And it’d be nice for there to be a legit vet PG on the roster to mentor Acuff.
And not Russ, I’m not so sure he’s suited to mentor the other positions on the roster. Someone smarter made the point that Russ and CP were great with big men as that helped their game, could get assists use them to screen and pick and roll. Is this true? But they both still feel they are the best PG on the roster and as a mentor that’s not what you want
And that’s what pisses me off. There was an opportunity, staring in the face of the kings, and they chose to go the other way like always.
Now we’ve got to get extraordinarily lucky. I’m obviously gonna watch and see, but I hate them. Meaning I hate this owner and everything he does.
You would think that announcers would have the same dedication to their craft as the players do and work to improve during the off season.
As hard as I try to buy into the delusion of possible happiness watching the Kings, they always drag me back down
I think this is nothing but good news. Kayte and Jones work much better together than Drapes ever did. Zero Drapes games is a big improvement. The games where Drapes had to fill in was so much worse. While some of Jones’s sayings are unfamiliar he otherwise calls a good game. Also I’m not sure you understand how bad it can be unless you have listened to the warriors announcers.
Yes Jones is really good at not stepping on Kayte as she continues to talk about that play that happened three plays ago.
I have ,and ours are worse but it is close . They are awful as well !
Also known as “Looney Toons…Back in Action”.
Well, I still don’t see any reason to watch the games again this season. A crappy team, a promising young rookie who looks uninspiring in his first couple of games and an announcing team that is irritating to listen to. The boycott continues.
[…] platform, while the October 10 road game at Golden State is scheduled for NBC Sports California preseason schedule report. That split gives fans a clear viewing map before the first tip. It also puts the Warriors date in […]
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