SACRAMENTO -- In the raging center of a city on edge, the Warriors on Saturday hope to conduct a victorious bit of basketball business with the Sacramento Kings.
The return of Klay Thompson, after missing eight games, should help.
Coverage of the game on NBC Sports Bay Area Plus begins at 6 o’clock, with tipoff at Golden 1 Center scheduled for 7:05.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
While Sacramento is in the grip of civic crisis initiated by a police shooting, the Warriors (54-21) have their own issues. Wracked by injuries, they’ve lost three in a row and seven of 10. They’re getting healthier, though. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green returned Thursday, and Thompson is expected back on Saturday.
Though Sacramento (24-52) has played some of its best basketball against the Warriors, the Kings will miss the playoffs for the 12th consecutive season.
BETTING LINE
Warriors by 8.5
NBA
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Quinn Cook vs. De’Aaron Fox: With two youngsters at point guard, this shapes up as the most competitive battle on the court. Cook is coming off a career-high 30-point game and has averaged 19.6 ppg and 4.6 assists over his last eight games. Fox, lightning-quick, has had only two 20-point games this month but is fast becoming this team’s floor leader of the future.
INJURY REPORT
Warriors: F Omri Casspi (R ankle sprain) is listed as out. G Stephen Curry (L MCL sprain) and F/G Andre Iguodala (L knee soreness) are listed as out.
Kings: F Harry Giles (bi-lateral knee rehabilitation) and G Iman Shumpert (L knee rehabilitation and L plantar fasciitis) are listed as out.
LAST 10
Warriors: 3-7.
Kings: 3-7.
GAME OFFICIALS
Kane Fitzgerald (crew chief), Justin Van Duyne, Gary Zielinski
SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors are 1-2 against Sacramento this season, losing both games in Oakland, 110-106 on Nov. 27 and 98-93 on March 16. They took a 119-104 win on Feb. 2 in Sacramento. The Warriors are 12-3 against the Kings in the Steve Kerr era.
THREE THINGS TO WATCH
KLAY’S GAME: The Warriors over the last 10 games rank 22nd in offensive rating (103.9) and shot 27.3 percent in the second half against the Kings two weeks ago. Thompson ought to be able to help with that. He’s anxious to get on the court and will be matched up against Bogdan Bogdanovic, the rookie from Serbia who shows offensive promise but struggles to play NBA defense.
THE SURROUNDINGS: Golden 1 Center has been the scene of tense moments in recent days, with perimeter demonstrations taking place to some degree in each of the last three games. Crowd counts have been down. This may be an opportunity to see how much impact such a charged social atmosphere has on a game.
EVENING THE SCORE: There is a measure of pride at stake when these teams meet. The Warriors have fairly dominated the Kings over the previous 14 seasons, winning at least three games eight times, including three sweeps. A Warriors loss would leave them 1-3, a losing record for only the second time since 2002.