Sacramento faces a transformed Los Angeles roster before hosting a familiar Golden State squad, testing their continuity against division rivals in a high-stakes start to the season.
The Sacramento Kings open division play early, facing the Los Angeles Clippers to open the season and the Golden State Warriors in their first home game, KCRA's Sean Cunningham reported Monday, citing sources.
Sacramento will face Los Angeles one day after opening night on Oct. 21. While the Kings are entering the season with most of the same roster, the Clippers underwent franchise-altering changes.
Four of their five starters are on different teams. They traded James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers for Benedict Mathurin and a protected first-round pick that became the No. 5 pick.
Kawhi Leonard got sent back to the Toronto Raptors for Gradey Dick and Brandon Ingram, and John Collins signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Detroit Pistons in the offseason.
Los Angeles selected Illinois' Keaton Wagler with Indiana's pick. Wagler was a prospect former Kings coach Jerry Reynolds believed could've been a sleeper pick for the organization.
The Clippers won the season series 3-1 last year with two blowouts and one close victory. Sacramento emerged victorious in the third matchup on March 14, powered by a triple-double from Russell Westbrook and 75 combined points from former King DeMar DeRozan, Maxime Raynaud and Precious Achiuwa.
The Kings welcome the Warriors to Golden 1 Center on Oct. 24. Both teams have had quiet offseasons.
Golden State chose not to match the Memphis Grizzlies' three-year, $30 million offer sheet for Quinten Post, and lost out on the LeBron James sweepstakes in embarrassing fashion. Just like Sacramento, it is running back the same roster, as reports suggest the team is treating next season as a gap year.
Last year's season series ended in a tie. A 23-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist triple-double from Westbrook put the Kings over the Warriors 121-116 on Nov. 5.
The Warriors then claimed the next two games, including a 34-point blowout on Jan. 9.
Their third matchup prompted a league review for tanking. A miscommunication between coach Doug Christie and forward Doug McDermott led to an early foul on Seth Curry while Golden State was in the bonus and trailing. The Warriors won the game 110-105, and the league review revealed no intention to tank.
Sacramento evened the series a few days before the season's end. Devin Carter scored 29 points to pick up the team's 22nd win, which gave them worse lottery odds at winning the No. 1 pick.
The roster makeup of the Clippers and Warriors could make these early games competitive for the Kings. Early wins are significant for the team aiming to avoid finishing with one of the NBA’s three worst records.
