Sacramento @ Golden State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2018 ) Golden State 119, Sacramento 104

The Golden State Warriors were missing three of their four All-Stars on Wednesday but were not about to use that as an excuse to lay down and take a third straight loss. Kevin Durant managed to lead the Warriors past the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and will try to do the same when they host the lowly Sacramento Kings on Friday.

Golden State was missing Stephen Curry (ankle), Klay Thompson (thumb) and Draymond Green (shoulder) but got 26 points from Durant to lead seven scorers in double figures in the 117-106 triumph. Curry will miss at least the next week and Thompson will sit out at least two weeks before being re-evaluated while Green is day-to-day with shoulder soreness. Health is a bigger concern at the moment for the Warriors than the standings, where they will enter play on Thursday 1 1/2 games behind the first-place Houston Rockets, but 10 1/2 games clear of third-place Portland. That all counts as good news for the Kings, who are heading out for two on the road after making a one-game stop at home on Wednesday and earning a 123-119 overtime victory over the Miami Heat.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBCS California (Sacramento), NBCS Bay Area (Golden State)

ABOUT THE KINGS (22-47): Sacramento lost to a pair of West playoff contenders on the road at Denver and Oklahoma City on Sunday and Monday but got a few of its young players on the same page in Wednesday's triumph. The rookie starting backcourt of De'Aaron Fox and Bogdan Bogdanovic combined to score 34 points on 14-of-28 shooting while second-year shooting guard Buddy Hield added 24 points in 31 minutes off the bench. Hield is trying to find some consistency after posting scoring totals of 20, zero, 18, three and 24 over the last five contests.

ABOUT THE WARRIORS (52-16): Curry has a history of ankle issues and already missed time this season due to problems with both ankles, so Golden State is being very cautious with his rehab. "We're trying to build up his strength as best we can around the [tweaked right] ankle, and the training staff felt that an extra week or 10 days of intense rehabilitation would put him in a much better position to play through the rest of the year with less risk of spraining the ankle again," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters. Quinn Cook started in Curry's place on Wednesday and managed 13 points in 28 minutes.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Kings PF Skal Labissiere (hip) sat out the last three games and is day-to-day.

2. Warriors SF Omri Casspi went 7-of-8 from the floor en route to 15 points in 20 minutes off the bench on Wednesday.

3. Sacramento earned a 110-106 win at Golden State on Nov. 27 in a game that both Curry and Durant sat out.

PREDICTION: Warriors 110, Kings 98