Kings vs. Suns Preview: Kings look to improve cohesion after sloppy preseason opener

The Kings are back in action tonight for their second preseason game after winning their first in extra time on Monday.  They'll be in Phoenix to play a Suns team that also saw a lot of changes this summer, including the addition of Tyson Chandler.  Tonight's game is being televised on NBA TV and broadcast on the radio on KHTK 1140.  Tip-off is at 7:00 PM Pacific Time.

Three Questions:

1. Can the starters get off to a better start?  For that matter will the starters even be the same?  George Karl opted to start DeMarcus Cousins, Kosta Koufos, Rudy Gay, Ben McLemore and Rajon Rondo, but that lineup got off to a rough start against a young Portland team featuring some solid perimeter shooting.  The Suns are another team that could opt to play small for large stretches, so it will be interesting to see if Karl opts for a different look.  I particularly hope to see a better game from Ben McLemore, who was largely invisible against the Blazers.  Rudy Gay also struggled, but given his career to date I'm not super worried about him.

2. What new faces will we see?  The Kings played 11 players on Monday and Coach Karl has said that some of the guys that sat on the bench all game will likely get playing time today.  That could mean looks at guys like Caron Butler, Eric Moreland, Seth Curry and others.  I personally want to see an extended look at Curry, especially if he can play with a guy like Rondo or Collison.  Moreland is another guy who deserves a look, especially since Sacramento's rebounding was such an issue in certain lineups against Portland.

3.  Will DeMarcus Cousins continue to showcase his shooting range?  The Kings center went 0-3 from long range in the first half of Monday's game and Portland was pretty content to let him take those as well since they couldn't stop him inside.  I'm sure that wasn't the last we've seen of Boogie experimenting with increased range, especially since this is the preseason.

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For the opponent's perspective, check out Bright Side Of The Sun.