SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento Kings kicked off their 2023-24 new season in Utah Wednesday, but all eyes are on their Friday home opener rematch against the Golden State Warriors.
The Kings busted the longest playoff drought in NBA history last season and squared off against the, at the time, defending champion Warriors in a 7-game series.
In the end, the Warriors overcame the Kings in Game 7 due to an epic 50-point performance from Steph Curry. It was a playoff career high for Curry, and a first-round exit for the Kings in the Golden 1 Center.
Excitement for their match-up is evident with tickets for Friday's game among the hottest in the NBA, and that's reflected in the cost.
THEIR RECORDS: Golden State Warriors (0-1, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. Sacramento Kings (1-0, third in the Western Conference)
WHERE: Golden 1 Center in Sacramento; Friday, 7 p.m.
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN, NBC Sports California. Listen at Sactown Sports 1140AM
TRAFFIC/ROAD CLOSINGS: The Sacramento Police Department says certain streets are typically closed for games. They are L Street between 5th and 7th streets, and 5th Street from J to L streets. Police say they *may* potentially close 7th Street from J to L because of the volume of people in the area.
LAST SEASON: Sacramento went 48-34 overall, 9-7 in Pacific Division games and 23-18 at home last season. The Kings averaged 120.7 points per game while shooting 49.4% from the field and 36.9% from behind the arc last season.
Golden State finished 44-38 overall and 30-22 in Western Conference action during the 2022-23 season. The Warriors averaged 118.9 points per game while allowing opponents to score 117.1 last season.
INJURIES:
- Kings: Trey Lyles: out (calf), Jalen Slawson: out (illness).
- Warriors: Draymond Green: day-to-day (ankle).
Now, we don't want to jinx it, but if the Kings win tonight the weather will be perfect for seeing the BEAM! Meteorologist Rob Carlmark says 0% cloud coverage is expected at the time the game ends, which means the beam will be bright and visible from a distance... and that distance might include all the way up in outer space.
ABC10 also had an exclusive interview with former Sacramento Kings coach Jerry Reynolds with his outlook for the Kings season.
You can also watch our interviews with Harrison Barnes and De'Aaron Fox after Wednesday's WIN against the Utah Jazz below: