Kings vs. Warriors Preview: Thank God, we finally have an easy game

The Sacramento Kings are reeling after three straight losses and unfortunately for them they have to face the Golden State Warriors, a team that is legitimately making people believe they could match or beat Chicago's record 72-10 season.  They haven't lost yet and I think it's safe to say that there's a pretty good possibility that the Kings probably won't change that.  Just a hunch. Today's action tips off at 7:00 pm on CSN California and on KHTK 1140.

3 Questions

1. What's today's starting lineup?  George Karl cannot seem to figure out his starting lineup without DeMarcus Cousins.  Each game since the big fella has gone out has seen Karl try a different look and the only consistent thing about each of those lineups is that the Kings have gotten off to awful starts in each game.  That probably means yet another look tonight, and I'd be greatly in favor of Willie Cauley-Stein returning to the starting lineup.  Koufos is a good player, but Cauley-Stein has shown himself to be a bigger defensive factor thanks to his length and quickness. Omri Casspi also deserves a shot at playing next to Gay in the starting lineup, as he did well in that role last year.

2. Will the Kings be able to keep this semi-respectable?  The only team that's given the Warriors a run for their money so far this season has been the Los Angeles Clippers.  Without DeMarcus Cousins, it's probably too much to hope that the Kings could somehow win this game (hell, even if Cousins played it's not like the odds would be that much better).  Still, I'd like to see the Kings not completely fall apart.

3. Did Seth Curry play himself into the rotation? Seth Curry was a bright spot of last night's loss to Houston, but after a quick burst of scoring he didn't receive the ball much.  I'm very interested to see if we see Curry enter the game earlier after he showed off his shooting and scoring touch last night.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME

Rudy Gay vs. Harrison Barnes

Rudy has been in a serious funk these last three games and the Warriors aren't likely to give him an easier time.  I'd like to see Rudy make quicker decisions with the ball instead of holding it for so often.  If the Kings are to have a minuscule chance of winning this game, it will require Rudy to step up his game and assert himself against Barnes.  That won't be an easy task, as Barnes has been playing better than ever on both ends of the court so far this year.

CURRY RECIPE

PREDICTION