Western Conference outfits Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors will resume their respective NBA campaigns with a meeting at the Golden 1 Center on Saturday.
The home side will be looking to return to winning ways having seen their three-match winning run snapped just before the All-Star break, while the away side go in search of a fourth win in five matches.
Match preview
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After establishing themselves as a team to look out for in the West, the Sacramento Kings were in grave danger of missing out on the playoffs given their 13-18 record after the first 31 games, which ultimately led to the dismissal of Mike Brown.
Brown's assistant, Doug Christie, was subsequently appointed to take the reins, and the 54-year-old made a blistering start to life with 10 wins from his opening 11 matches but managed only two wins from the subsequent eight.
Three straight wins on the bounce somewhat helped the Kings get themselves back on track before they were sent crashing back down to earth by the New Orleans Pelicans courtesy of a thrilling 140-133 loss in Friday's meeting at Smoothie King Center.
Down by two with just under six seconds left, Malik Monk kept his nerve from the stripe to knock down two clutch free throws and force overtime, where CJ McCollum went on a rampage with 11 points to lead his side to victory.
The Kings are currently ninth in a tightly packed Western Conference standings, which is expected to witness some twists as the season approaches its final knockings following the conclusion of the all-star break.
Off the back of five straight wins against their upcoming opponents, including two this campaign already, Saturday's hosts will be confident of continuing their fine run in this fixture and sealing a series win for the regular season that could come in handy later on.
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As always, the Golden State Warriors are one of the most talked-about NBA franchises, and there has been a lot of chatter lately regarding their ability to compete at the highest level in the twilight of Steph Curry's undeniably illustrious career.
Despite averaging his fewest points tally (23.4) since the 2012-13 campaign, Curry has shown he is still capable of turning on the style with six consecutive 25-point games leading up to the All-Star weekend in San Francisco, where he was also named MVP of the All-Star Game.
Steve Kerr's men will need their talisman to continuously deliver the goods now more than ever as they face the prospect of missing out on the playoffs for the second year running after they were dumped out of the play-in tournament by the Kings last time out.
Off the back of a 105-98 triumph over the Houston Rockets in their most recent outing, the Warriors will now seek to end a seven-game road trip on a high before closing out February with matches against the Dallas Mavericks, Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic.
In a contest that sees two of the top 10 rebounding teams in the NBA go head-to-head, the battle on the glass could prove crucial towards determining who emerges victorious or otherwise this weekend.
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Team News
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Zach LaVine was a trade target for the Warriors, but the Kings won the race to land the 29-year-old, who will now set out to build upon his 32-point outing against the Pelicans.
Since the departure of De'Aaron Fox, Malik Monk has been handed a starting role and should start backcourt here alongside the aforementioned LaVine.
Jonathan Kuminga continues to battle with an ankle problem which is set to rule him out of Saturday's contest, while Gary Payton II is sidelined with a right peroneal contusion.
Jimmy Butler is averaging just over 21 points across his first four matches for the Warriors, and the 35-year-old will be aiming to continue his fine start to life for the away side.
Sacramento Kings possible starting five:
Monk, LaVine; DeRozan, Murray; Sabonis
Golden State Warriors possible starting five:
Curry, Podziemski; Butler, Moody; Green
We say: Warriors to win by 4+ points
The Sacramento Kings have had the upper hand against the Warriors recently but are without one of the biggest influences in this fixture of late in Fox. We are backing the away side to come out on top when all is said and done.
Adepoju Marvellous
