• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Warriors and Kings square off

Mar 24, 2012 - 2:59 PM (Sports Network) - Bottom feeders in the Pacific Division meet in Oakland tonight, as the last-place Sacramento Kings will hit the road for two straight and three of four games, starting with a showdown against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena.

The Kings just completed a franchise-record nine-game homestand with a 5-4 mark and are coming off Thursday's 103-102 setback versus the Utah Jazz. Al Jefferson netted 26 points, including the game-winning tip-in within the final second of action, to lead the visitors to victory.

"We did everything we could to get ourselves back in the game based on how we were playing," Kings head coach Keith Smart said. "We were one rebound away from taking it home."

Tyreke Evans paced the Kings with 25 points off the bench, while DeMarcus Cousins had 22 points and 18 rebounds in defeat. Sacramento will try to stop a three-game losing streak on the road tonight and is only 4-20 away from California's capital this season. Evans has been a reserve in each of the past two games, posting 19.0 ppg in that time.

Jason Thompson and Marcus Thornton scored 19 and 16 points, respectively, in a losing cause. Thompson is averaging 17.6 points and 13.6 rebounds in the last five games. Cousins has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four trips to the floor. Sacramento has scored 100 points or more in each of its last five games, averaging 113.6 ppg in that span.

Golden State has lost five of six games and will play four of its next five games at home. It has lost three straight as the host and is 10-13 at Oracle Arena this season.

The Warriors are coming off Thursday's 109-83 setback at Houston in which Richard Jefferson had 14 points off the bench and David Lee added 12 and five rebounds. Nate Robinson and Klay Thompson netted 11 and 10 points, respectively, for Golden State, which allowed 18 points off 17 turnovers and shot a decent 41.5 percent.

"The last couple of game we haven't come out with the right type of intensity. We need to improve on that," Jefferson said.

After hosting the Kings, the Warriors will visit Portland before returning home for three games versus the Lakers, Hornets and Nets.

Golden State and Sacramento will close out their four-game season series tonight and the Warriors have the one-game edge following a 115-89 rout on the road on March 13. Sacramento has lost 11 of 14 and 13 of its last 17 contests as the visitor in this series.