Sacramento dropped its second straight preseason game, but the night was not without its positives. Facing a Warriors team that might just be one of the most talented in league history, the Kings led 55-50 going into the half and had the lead late in the fourth quarter as well before it slipped away. DeMarcus Cousins led the way for the Kings with 20 points on 8-11 shooting to go with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and a block in just over 20 minutes of action.

No other Kings starter scored in double figures but the Kings got a solid showing from their bench. Garrett Temple scored 13 points to go with 5 assists and 5 rebounds, Matt Barnes shot just 4-12 but also added 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals and Ben McLemore continued to show some confidence in his shot by putting up a team-high 13 field goal attempts (He only made 5 but I still like seeing Ben shoot the ball instead of disappearing, especially in preseason).

Coach Joerger’s rotations were a little tighter than in the first game. Darren Collison was a healthy scratch as Joerger wanted to see what the team might look like with Lawson and Temple running the point, as they will have to do in the first 8 games of the season due to Collison’s suspension. The Kings rookies all saw limited action towards the end of the game, and once again struggled against more experienced competition. The six Kings who played just 10 minutes or less ended up combining for 8 of Sacramento’s 17 total turnovers and just 3 of the team’s 24 assists. That’s both a good sign for the health of the offense with the regulars but also a sign that the young guys aren’t really ready to play yet.

The Warriors actually played their main rotation a decent amount through the game. Curry, Thompson, Green and Durant all played around 25 minutes, more than any Sacramento Kings player. Durant led the game in scoring with 25 points on 8-11 shooting, and Ian Clark chipped in with 16 points off the bench.

The Kings are back in action on Monday, October 10th when they make their debut at the Golden 1 Center against Maccabi Haifa of Israel.