Keegan Murray is back for Sacramento. "Really happy to see Keegan back out there striding down to the corners and running the floor," Doug Christie said. On Maxime Raynaud, who went down, Christie wouldn't speak until results are in: "We'll see what the doc comes back with."
Sacramento's Ben Simmons played under 9 minutes in his first game in a year, which he said was planned as part of a buildup. He feels great. Asked about ramping him up over the next two preseason games, coach Doug Christie didn't commit: a group decision made with Simmons.
A young Kings player went down holding his knee, and Zach LaVine wouldn't guess how bad: "The way he grabbed his knee, obviously I don't want to put anything out there." Ben Simmons and Keegan Murray made preseason debuts; LaVine said Simmons looked healthy all camp.
Darius Acuff Jr., 19, already has Zach LaVine expecting defenses to key on him: "there's going to be games where they're going to be loading up on me or him." LaVine on the Kings rookie's scoring: "You don't average 25 in college for no reason. Kid can score."
Stephen Curry will usually guard a wing shooter, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, "to relieve him of the... pick-and-roll defense duties." So Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos or rookie Yaxel Lendeborg takes the opposing ball-handler when Podziemski starts beside Curry.
No gentle start for Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. "I don't think he has a choice," Brandin Podziemski said. "He's going to be in a position where we need him to be aggressive, to win a lot of games." Podziemski also sees him guarding bigger wings like Luka Doncic.
"Anybody that plays with Steph, you got to be able to guard the ball." Brandin Podziemski, a Warriors starter in preseason, said that's his focus beside Stephen Curry, not keeping the job. He said Curry and Draymond Green have bought into Frank Vogel's "collision mindset."
No real bump yet for the Warriors' veterans. Steve Kerr said their minutes won't be ramped up for the Oct. 10 game, "maybe a couple extra," and a bigger increase "won't be really factored in until probably the last couple of games."
If Kristaps Porzingis isn't available, Steve Kerr said the Warriors either "start big" with Al Horford or Charles Bassey, or put Draymond Green at center with Yaxel Lendeborg at power forward, which the 6'10 Lendeborg makes more palatable. Kerr gave no update on Porzingis.